Best
Ranger Competition Incorporates Cubic’s
GPS-Based
Tracking and Positioning Data for the First Time
SAN DIEGO, CALIF., May 5, 2005 – The defense segment
of Cubic Corporation (AMEX: CUB) showcased its GPS-based
tracking and positioning technologies during the U.S. Army’s
22nd annual Best Ranger Competition. The prestigious event,
held April 22-24 at Fort Benning, Ga., pits the finest
two-man Ranger teams against one another in the most grueling
competition
imaginable.
For the first time, the Best Ranger Competition
used Cubic’s
Deployable System for Training & Readiness (DSTAR) technology
to track the position of Best Ranger teams in real time during
the Orienteering competition. This 12-hour event involved
20 miles of land navigation in the dark while carrying rucksacks
and equipment weighing 70 pounds.
“Cubic is very proud to support the Orienteering event,
which is considered one of the most physically demanding
and fatiguing events during the competition,” said
Ray Barker, senior vice president of Cubic’s Training
Systems Business Unit. “Our positioning technology
increased safety for the Rangers and ensured they were on
the right track.”
This year’s Best Rangers competition involved 18 events
that tested the teams’ physical, mental and strategic
abilities – around the clock for 60 hours – as
they competed for the coveted David E. Grange Jr. trophy.
The competition started with 23 teams and quickly dwindled
to 12 for the Orienteering event.
Complete coverage of the Ranger Competition,
including DSTAR tracking events, will be featured on Discovery
Communication’s
Military Channel’s three-hour Best Ranger Competition
program airing June 16.
DSTAR has supported the Ranger Training Brigade’s
Land Navigation courses at Fort Benning since 2003; however,
this is the first time that the system was incorporated into
the Best Ranger Competition.
The DSTAR system has served as a valuable risk reduction
measure for land navigation training and has prevented numerous
serious injuries – perhaps even deaths – by facilitating
the timely recovery of many lost soldiers, according to senior
Fort Benning officials.
At Fort Benning, DSTAR’s software-based exercise control
system is packaged inside a mobile trailer and works in conjunction
with GPS player units carried by the Ranger teams. DSTAR’s
full capabilities range from exercise control, battle tracking
and data collection to after-action reviews for live training
events.
Similar technology will be incorporated in
the Initial - Homestation Instrumentation Training System
(I-HITS) that
Cubic is providing to the U.S. Army under a five-year contract
worth $71.7 million. I-HITS is a highly mobile system that
offers an instrumented training capability similar to the
Army’s Combat Training Centers, providing pre-deployment
training at a moment’s notice.
The Cubic Defense Applications group, one of Cubic's two
major segments, is a world leader in realistic combat training
systems, mission support services and defense electronics.
The corporation's other major segment, Cubic Transportation
Systems, designs and manufactures automatic fare collection
systems for public mass transit authorities. For more information
about Cubic, see the company's website at www.cubic.com.