Cubic's Advanced Combat Training System Prepares NATO Forces for Combined Operations at Exercise Maple Flag 04.

SAN DIEGO -- A next-generation air combat training system developed by the defense segment of Cubic Corp. (AMEX:CUB) honed the skills of 13 NATO air forces during Exercise Maple Flag 2004 -- one of the world's largest multinational exercises dedicated to combined operations training.

The 37th annual event, which ran May 3 to June 11 at Cold Lake AB, Alberta, Canada, allowed NATO air forces to train jointly in a realistic simulated air combat environment. The exercise officially was the largest Maple Flag to date, attracting crews from Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Norway, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Singapore, NATO Airborne Early Warning Control Forces (AWACS) and U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Up to 107 aircraft flew on each training mission, with a total of 4,500 sorties flown over the six-week period.

"Recent conflicts have demonstrated the importance of air combat training exercises that allow allied forces to train jointly with coalition partners," said Gerald Dinkel, president and CEO of Cubic Defense Applications. "Cubic is proud to provide an air combat training system that allows combat pilots to experience large force exercises in a controlled environment that closely simulates actual combat."

Cubic's new-generation CF-18 Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) system allowed interoperable training among 10 different aircraft types: F-4, F-16, CF-18, Mirage 2000, Mirage F-1, F-15, EA-6B, Tornado, Harrier and AWACS aircraft.

The CF-18 ACMI system incorporates advanced rangeless technology, a capability that allows pilots to train in any available airspace without reliance on a fixed range. This technology relies on Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and easily transportable components. The Canadian system is the first system of its kind that integrates this rangeless capability with an electronic warfare system -- the Surface Threat Electronic Warfare (STEW) system, which simulates surface-to-air missiles and other ground-to-air threats.

"Maple Flag now has an integrated CF-18 ACMI and STEW system. Together, these systems make up the most modern training system in operation today. The combination of these two training systems enables the pilots to realistically view their performance and tactics on each mission," said Keith Shean, Cubic's Air Ranges program manager.

The main components of the ACMI system are the GPS-based pods loaded onto aircraft -- much like an actual missile -- and display systems that provide the tactical aircraft picture. The mobile pods contain avionics that are able to track and record everything the aircraft does in flight, such as airspeed, attitude, altitude, angle of attack, G load and simulated missile launches.

The display system allows personnel to control, track and monitor the exercises in real time as well as post-mission. The system, called the Individual Combat Aircrew Display System (ICADS), presents mission views such as the "God's eye" overhead view, a pilot view as if looking out the front of the aircraft, a "grandstand" view that depicts the mission from any angle varying from directly above to a total side angle and a trail view from behind the aircraft.

The Cubic ACMI is displayed in an amphitheater-type debrief setting with a movie theater size screen. The theater allows over 100 pilots and aircrew members to debrief in a common setting.

"The lessons learned from this kind of training system take the guesswork out of the tactical debrief," said Shean. "The old saying in air combat training was 'that the first person to the chalkboard wins the fight.' With this integrated ACMI system, the learning curve can be accelerated to a much greater degree. This means these large-scale exercises are becoming much more meaningful and cost-effective."

"This year's Maple Flag exercise was the biggest in history and also the most challenging," said Rob Reilander, president of Cubic Field Services Canada Ltd. "Because of the number of aircraft involved, it would have been virtually impossible to achieve meaningful training without this advanced ACMI."

Cubic installed the original Canadian Forces' ACMI system in 1982 and has operated and maintained the system until 2001. In May 2001, the newer CF-18 ACMI was initially used for operational training.

The rationale behind exercises like Maple Flag go back to the Vietnam War days. Air Commanders were finding that 90 percent of aircraft losses took place during the pilot's first 10 missions. Maple Flag allows pilots to experience their first missions in the most realistic combat environment possible.

"There is a general rule of thumb that if a pilot can survive the first 10 combat missions, the pilot has vastly increased the survivability percentages on the remainder of the combat missions. This realistic combat training at Maple Flag is designed to provide those kinds of combat scenarios to ensure our forces will be prepared when called into action -- even when there's very little notice," said Shean.

Cubic Defense Applications, a major segment of San Diego-based Cubic Corp., provides realistic combat training systems for military forces as well simulation, force modernization, educational services, operations & maintenance and manufacturing services. The group also supplies products and systems for C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) applications, search and rescue avionics and radio communications for military and civil markets. Cubic Transportation Systems, another major segment of Cubic Corp., designs and manufactures automatic fare collection systems for public mass transit authorities. For more information about Cubic, see the company's Web site at www.cubic.com.