Cubic Showcases GPS Tracking & Positioning
Technologies at Army’s Best Ranger Competition
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Cubic Defense Applications showcased its GPS-based tracking and positioning technologies during the U.S. Army’s 22nd annual Best Ranger Competition. The prestigious event, held April 22-24 at Fort Benning, Ga., pits the finest two-man Ranger teams against one another in the most grueling competition imaginable.

For the first time, the Best Ranger Competition used Cubic’s Deployable System for Training & Readiness (DSTAR) technology to track the position of Best Ranger teams in real time during the Orienteering competition. This 12-hour event involved 20 miles of land navigation in the dark while carrying rucksacks and equipment weighing 70 pounds.

“Cubic is very proud to support the Orienteering event, which is considered one of the most physically demanding and fatiguing events during the competition,” said Ray Barker, senior vice president of Cubic’s Training Systems Business Unit. “Our positioning technology increased safety for the Rangers and ensured they were on the right track.”

This year’s Best Rangers competition involved 18 events that tested the teams’ physical, mental and strategic abilities – around the clock for 60 hours – as they competed for the coveted David E. Grange Jr. trophy. The competition started with 23 teams and quickly dwindled to 12 for the Orienteering event.

Complete coverage of the Ranger Competition, including DSTAR tracking events, will be featured on Discovery Communication’s Military Channel’s three-hour Best Ranger Competition program airing June 16.

DSTAR has supported the Ranger Training Brigade’s Land Navigation courses at Fort Benning since 2003; however, this is the first time that the system was incorporated into the Best Ranger Competition.

The DSTAR system has served as a valuable risk reduction measure for land navigation training and has prevented numerous serious injuries – perhaps even deaths – by facilitating the timely recovery of many lost soldiers, according to senior Fort Benning officials.

At Fort Benning, DSTAR’s software-based exercise control system is packaged inside a mobile trailer and works in conjunction with GPS player units carried by the Ranger teams. DSTAR’s full capabilities range from exercise control, battle tracking and data collection to after-action reviews for live training events.

Similar technology will be incorporated in the Initial - Homestation Instrumentation Training System (I-HITS) that Cubic is providing to the U.S. Army under a five-year contract worth $71.7 million. I-HITS is a highly mobile system that offers an instrumented training capability similar to the Army’s Combat Training Centers, providing pre-deployment training at a moment’s notice.