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    1. Commercial Aerospace

    Cobham delivers next-generation combat trainer to Navy

    July 28, 2010
    SAN DIEGO, Calif., 28 July 2010. Cubic Corp. (NYSE: CUB) fielded the fifth generation air combat training system at Marine Corps Air Station. Cubic Defense Applications, Inc., the defense systems business of Cubic, and principal subcontractor DRS Technologies have developed the P5 Combat Training System/Tactical Combat Training System (P5CTS/TCTS).
    Posted byJohn McHaleSAN DIEGO, Calif., 28 July 2010. Cubic Corp. (NYSE: CUB) fielded the fifth generation air combat training system at Marine Corps Air Station. Cubic Defense Applications, Inc., the defense systems business of Cubic, and principal subcontractor DRS Technologies have developed the P5 Combat Training System/Tactical Combat Training System (P5CTS/TCTS).Installing TCTS, as the training and flight simulation system is known to Navy and Marine Corps aviators, means that this generation of Miramar fighter pilots has the capability to train anywhere, anytime without the need for a fixed ground infrastructure. Portable airborne and ground subsystems make the system rangeless, and that is changing the scenery of training for the six F/A-18 Hornet squadrons at Miramar. Instead of flying over mostly inland and desert airspace shared with MCAS Yuma and Naval Air Facility El Centro, they can soar over the deep blue sea of the Pacific, where advanced flight maneuvers can take place."It has added a tremendous amount of flexibility," says Maj. Paul Mackenzie, director of safety and standardization for VMFA(AW)-121, the USMC's Green Knights squadron."We were working in correlation with Air Force units that were down here and a couple of Navy units as well," says another Green Knight, Capt. Jonathan Ashmore. "We were able to all fly together, then do mass debriefs where we could replay the entire exercise using the TCTS system. It seemed very user-friendly, and the system for us as far as debriefing worked really well."There were some limitations with the old system just based on range with the ground relay system," Ashmore adds. "This one has a much better capability further out over the water, and that enhances our training as far as allowing us to train in different areas, not just one range specifically. I think it would really enhance training when we are forward deployed or in other areas." Cubic's Individual Combat Aircrew Display System (ICADS) is used for TCTS debriefs. With ICADS, aircrews can evaluate their performance in formal debriefing theaters or on laptops using two-dimensional, three-dimensional and multiscreen views and high-resolution maps, zooming in and out on points of interest. The TCTS system is due to become operational later this year at NAS Fallon, the current home of TOPGUN.

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