SAN DIEGO, Calif. – October 23, 2012 -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Cubic Defense Applications, the defense systems business of Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB), a $6 million contract to develop the next generation (XG) of the One Shot crosswind and range measurement system that will provide ballistic aim point offsets in the shooter’s riflescope sight. This field-deployable system is compact enough to have the option of mounting on the rifle or the spotter-scope, enabling military snipers to rapidly hit their targets at maximum effective ranges of weapons more accurately under crosswind conditions.
Cubic, the prime contractor for the DARPA One Shot XG program, has partnered with Trex Enterprises, also of San Diego, to develop and test a prototype system, that if successful, could lead to delivery of 10 additional systems within 15 months.
“If military snipers could neutralize enemy targets with a single round, they could potentially save many lives,” said Steve Sampson, vice president of Advanced Programs for Cubic Defense Applications. “One Shot XG seeks to allow our snipers to immediately obtain downrange crosswind, direction and range to target to provide ballistic corrections.
“The No. 1 error among our snipers is not being able to accurately measure downrange cross wind profile between the shooter and the target. The technology that Cubic is helping to develop under this program aims to do that within seconds. Using a unique two-way measurement system operated from existing sniper rifles or spotter scopes on current and future weapons, One Shot XG is designed to provide greatly improved first-round accuracy.”
Sampson said Cubic’s solution will take a different approach than past DARPA-funded sniper programs while addressing lessons learned previously. He said Cubic and Trex have been developing this novel concept for six months, and now with DARPA’s help will be able to demonstrate it can work. Trex will develop the crosswind measurement algorithm which is the fundamental key to the success of the program. Along with Cubic’s innovative electro-optic and laser designs, the services can expect a highly effective tool in their weapons inventory.
“This opportunity will showcase Cubic’s ability to build compact, field-deployable, high-quality tactical electro-optics that have been fully optimized from the ground up,” said Tony Maryfield, program manager and principal investigator for the One Shot XG product development at Cubic.
“Cubic has developed both systems and components, from fiber lasers and quantum well modulators to smart cards. One Shot XG will directly benefit from at least a decade of development geared towards state-of the art field-proven MILES combat training products.”
Cubic has many years of experience in developing and manufacturing size, weight and power (SWAP) friendly electro-optical systems for U.S. and allied forces. Every soldier in the U.S. Army learns to shoot and maneuver using Cubic’s MILES systems during force-on-force training exercises, and U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps personnel have also trained with Cubic engagement systems.
Cubic previously received DARPA funding to develop a two-way optical communication system called the dynamical optical tags (DOTs) that led to the delivery of retro reflection tags and laser interrogators. Cubic is currently a subcontractor to prime contractor Teledyne for the EXACTO guided .50 caliber bullet, another DARPA program. System-level live fire testing of the EXACTO technology is expected to take place later this year.
Using IR&D funds, Cubic developed DCID-TALON (Dismounted Combat Identification with Target and Location Navigation), a multifunction system featuring two-way optical communications. DCID-TALON integrates the functions of Combat ID and improved situational awareness within a combat scope without adding weight. It can instantly identify friendly forces and determine target grid coordinates, which are displayed within the sight of the scope. The all-optical system can also be configured for information-sharing in network-centric combat environments. The experience developed in DOTs, EXACTO, DCID-TALON and MILES led Cubic to the award of the next-generation DARPA sniper program.
About Cubic
Cubic Corporation is the parent company of three major business segments: Defense Systems, Mission Support Services and Transportation Systems. Cubic Defense Systems is a leading provider of realistic combat training systems, cyber technologies, asset tracking solutions, and defense electronics. Mission Support Services is a leading provider of training, operations, maintenance, technical and other support services for U.S. and allied nations. Cubic Transportation Systems is the world’s leading provider of automated fare collection systems and services for public transit authorities. For more information about Cubic, see the company's website at www.cubic.com.
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