Cubic to expand mesh asset tracking technology deployment in Afghanistan

Cubic Global Tracking Solutions has received a series of contracts for installation of its wireless mesh asset tracking technology on two US military bases in Afghanistan.

Valued at $4.8m, the three US Army and General Services Administration (GSA) schedule contracts cover deployment of thousands of mesh asset tags (MATs) and web-based Device Management Center (DMC) system at bases near Kandahar and Bagram in Afghanistan.

The systems have been designed for use in tracking and processing valuable equipment being redeployed or returned home in the wake of strategic withdrawal of US soldiers from the country.

Cubic Global Tracking Solutions vice president Jim Kilfeather said the system would enhance the army's supply chain visibility, enabling safe and efficient processing of equipment for retrograde movement outside of Afghanistan.

"The system reduces the amount of time spent looking for vehicles, and enables more efficient utilisation of personnel, equipment, wash racks, and inspection bays," he said.

"To the army, this means a significant reduction in total turn time, as well as a better managed and predictable logistics flow to ports like Karachi."

Featuring small, battery-operated mesh tags with built-in GPS receivers attached to vehicles and wirelessly linked with one another, MATs help in establishing a reliable data communications network and are currently used for yard management of vehicles at three bases in Kuwait.

The DMC asset visibility system has been designed to help logistics personnel to determine accurate location of any military vehicle by searching the DMC database.

Cubic, which serves as a subcontractor to ARINC, will deliver the mesh network technology to the US Army Logistics Innovation Agency and Army Sustainment Command, as part of the next-generation wireless communications (NGWC) contract and the Army Mobility Asset Tracking System (AMATS) programme.