Cubic to build next-generation weapons trainer

Cubic Corp. won a five-year, $113 million contract to make the Army's next-generation training system that will let soldiers use actual weapons during combat exercises, the company said yesterday.

The company's initial award of $14 million for the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) Individual Weapon System was made by the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation in Orlando, Fla.

The system upgrade is based on Cubic's MILES 2000 system, which has been supplied to more than 60,000 troops worldwide since 1997. The MILES system lets troops train with actual weapons during combat exercises, provides real-time feedback on weapons engagements and casualties, and records and analyzes events for after-action reviews.

The award includes new technology to improve the quality of training for the Army, said Gerald Dinkel, president and chief executive officer of Cubic Defense Applications. The system is interoperable with previous configurations of MILES and can handle future upgrades, Cubic said.

The system "offers a significant upgrade to the basic MILES in terms of performance, weight and overall usability and long-term supportability," said Seth Bokmeyer, MILES business development director. "The advanced system features small, lightweight components, superior performance and a proven, cost-effective design."

Cubic will deliver the advanced system to eight Army training centers and various homestations around the globe. The company will make its initial deliveries to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and the Combat Maneuvering Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany.

Based in San Diego, Cubic employs 5,700 workers and posted revenue of $722 million for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2004. The company is No. 71 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list of federal prime contractors.