ORLANDO, Florida -- The defense segment of Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) and Thales USA unveiled their new Reconfigurable MRAP Vehicle Trainer during a joint news briefing today at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando.
The virtual trainer will allow troops to practice clearing convoy routes of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other weapons and hazards through realistic immersive simulations of battlefield conditions including weather, terrain, allied and enemy vehicles, opposing forces and weapons ranging from small arms to rocket-propelled grenades and IEDs. Initially, the Reconfigurable MRAP Vehicle Trainer will replicate the Buffalo MPCV (Mine-Protected Clearance Vehicle), Husky VMMD (Vehicle-Mounted Mine-Detector Systems) and RG-31 MMPV (Medium Mine Protected Vehicle).
Designed for use in a trailer, the trainer includes a gunner's turret, vehicle cab, motion platform, instructor operator station, power generation, heating and air conditioning. Cubic's Orlando-based Simulation Systems Division will manufacture the gunner's turrets and vehicle cabs and supply training software featuring complex scenarios based on physics-based models. The weapons include have accurate ballistics and recoil to provide fidelity identical to the weapon being emulated.
Thales is offering two of its high-performance, rugged, low-maintenance Modular Electrical Motion Systems (MEMS) as the motion platform systems for the different variations of the reconfigurable trainer. The MEMS 3 has a 1,500 kg payload capability and three degrees of freedom with pitch, roll and heave. The MEMS 6 has six degrees of freedom and a payload capability up to 2,000 kg with pitch, roll, heave, yaw, sway and surge. The low profile of these systems allows troops to enter and exit the vehicle cabs easily. Superior visual correlation and vehicle dynamics software reduce the risk of motion sickness during training.
Cubic's Simulation Systems Division in Orlando will perform the final systems integration of the vehicle cabs and turrets with the motion platform.