ORLANDO, FL -- Lockheed Martin was awarded three contracts totaling $15.2 million by the U.S. Marine Corps, including a follow-on order for Virtual Combat Convoy Trainers (VCCT) and two orders for Advanced Gunnery Training Systems (AGTS).

The order for two VCCT simulators follows the service’s initial order in January for four trainers, which currently are in service at the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, CA. The two additional trainers are scheduled for delivery to selected bases in September 2005.

“We train Marines to fight and win,” said Col. Walter Augustin, Program Manager for Training Systems. “These simulators will enable our Marines to quickly develop the respective combat convoy operations and gunnery skills they’ll need to effectively accomplish their mission once they are deployed in harm’s way.”

One of the Marine Corps’ orders for the AGTS calls for four full fidelity Light Armored Vehicle (LAV-25) systems and 17 deployable systems, all scheduled for delivery by December 2006. The second order is for 10 deployable M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank training systems, slated for delivery by April 2007.

“We are providing training devices to the Marines that are designed to help reduce casualties and save lives in combat,” said Jim Craig, Vice-president of Ground, Maritime and Civil Solutions at Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support. “Both AGTS and VCCT are proven simulators that enable troops to hone their skills for mission success.”

AGTS is a state-of-the-art simulator designed to train individuals, crews and platoons in the skills of precision gunnery to a level of proficiency that allows troops to rapidly transition to live fire training or combat gunnery. Marines use the system's embedded, combat focused instructional system to develop skills to survive direct fire engagements on the battlefield. The training device can be installed in fixed facilities, relocatable shelters or on transportable platforms to support training in any environment.

The Lockheed Martin VCCT consists of a 53-foot, self-contained, deployable commercial trailer and is capable of integration with other training devices, such as the Close Combat Tactical Trainer. Using a full-scale Humvee and simulation system that replicates scenarios troops might encounter, it enables combat crews to communicate, maintain situational awareness and acquire targets while moving at highway speeds operating in a convoy environment. More than 13,500 troops have been trained.

Lockheed Martin teams with Firearms Training Systems, Inc. of Suwannee, GA, which provides firearms systems that make the VCCT a comprehensive training device.