Army lines up Cubic for more small arms training

Army soldiers will hone their ground fighting skills with small arms in an environment that simulates battlefield conditions using a computerized training system from Cubic Corp.

Cubic of San Diego won orders totaling more than $24 million with the Army's Program Executive Office, Simulation Training and Instrumentation Command to deliver the training system to new locations.

The training system, called the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, teaches marksmanship skills, squad-level collective defense and "shoot-don't shoot" tactics.

Soldiers use the EST 2000 to refine their skills with the 50-caliber M-2 machine gun and the 40mm Mark-19 grenade launcher. An enhanced version of the system allows soldiers to train on the weapons whether dismounted or from vehicles in an environment that simulates combat conditions and the threat posed by improvised explosive devices.

Cubic's Simulation Systems Division of Orlando, Fla., will produce and manufacture the training systems. So far Cubic has fielded more than 800 EST 2000 systems at installations throughout the world, including the United States, Korea, Germany and Afghanistan.

Cubic has about 6,000 employees and had annual sales of $821 million in 2006. The company ranks No. 70 on Washington Technology's 2006 Top 100 list of the largest federal IT contractors.