The US Army has reaffirmed Meggitt Training Systems as the supplier of its next-generation virtual small arms trainer system.
In June, Meggitt secured a $99m contract to supply engagement skills trainer II (EST II) to the army, but a formal announcement has been delayed until now, pending the outcome of the bid protest.
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The US General Accounting Office (GAO) has now rejected the protest of another bidder, whose identity remains undisclosed.
Awarded by the US Army Program Executive Office for Simulation and Training (PEO STRI), the indefinite-delivery / indefinite-quantity contract covers the delivery of more than 1,000 new and upgraded systems, as well as simulated weapons for army facilities worldwide.
Meggitt Training Systems president Ronald Vadas said: "This award confirmation enables us to move forward, providing the US Army with a truly modern, state-of-the-art training solution.
"EST II arms our soldiers with advanced tools, allowing instructors to deliver efficient training for military challenges today and well into the future."
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By GlobalDataThe company is supplying its FATS M100 advanced reality training simulator, which represents a significant step forward in technology and capability compared with the army’s incumbent EST 2000 system.
Equipped with a user-friendly graphical interface, it supports multiple, simultaneous simulation and training modes, using a flexible architecture that allows customisation of the company’s courseware and systems, including CGI marksmanship and high-definition video training.
The trainer also enables the easy integration of hardware and software products such as a 3-D marksmanship training environment featuring Meggitt’s BlueFire weapon simulators, leading to enhanced, realistic visuals and a perspectively correct target presentation to improve the shooting and training experience.
In addition, the modules cover an intelligent coaching application on a wireless tablet to help trainers to change scenarios within a single training session.
Deliveries under the contract are expected to start from December 2015 and run through the next five years.
Image: US soldiers use the engagement skills trainer 2000 for weapons familiarisation on Fort Carson, Colorado, US. Photo: courtesy of Sgt Joseph Ten Eyck.
