Cubic corrals training work

Cubic Corp. won a five-year, $71.4 million contract to produce and field simulated combat training systems for the Army, Army Reserve and National Guard, the company said Friday.

The Initial-Homestation Instrumentation Training Systems, known as I-HITS, provide exercise control, battle tracking, data collection and after-action reviews for live training events. They can interact with other command and control systems, and can be deployed quickly to training areas worldwide.

I-HITS contains player instruments, global positioning system units and portable communications systems that are integrated with a software-based exercise control system. These technologies track the positions and casualty status of troops and vehicles in real time, and relay the exercise data to command centers for analysis and review presentations.

"I-HITS will significantly expand the Army's ability to provide the critical information for training 'lessons learned,' which has proven to be a key element in U.S. combat readiness and troop survival," said Gerald Dinkel, president and chief executive officer of Cubic's defense applications group.

This award marks the second time in four months that Cubic has received a major live training contract from the Army, Dinkel said. In January, the company won a five-year, $113 million contract to make the Army's next-generation, individual weapon system for live combat training exercises. More than two-thirds of the company's defense business is training U.S. and allied forces.

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