Cubic Defence Australia has signed a $319.8 million contract to continue its delivery of training support to the Australian Army’s Combat Training Centre for up to 14 years.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the contract announced on 15 December with Cubic Defence Australia was a major boost for the Queensland and national economy, with almost all of the contract price to be invested in Australian industry.
Cubic will continue to provide and support the integrated live simulation, range instrumentation and information systems used to run major national and international exercises in Townsville.
The system is known as the Combat Training Centre Live Instrumentation System (CTC-LIS).
Minister Price said the contract would create nine new jobs in Townsville and support the ongoing employment of 35 Australians, most of whom are ADF veterans.
The contract also indirectly contributes to the employment of another 15 Cubic staff and the creation of three undergraduate engineer internships each year.
“This contract is an excellent example of the benefits of our Defence industry partnerships for both the ADF and Australian businesses,” Minister Price said.
“Close to 100 per cent of the contract price will be invested in Australian industry, including in advanced technology services.
“This local economic investment includes the development of systems integration, test and data analysis expertise in the Defence industry in North Queensland.
“This capability has been pivotal in the preparation of our troops for operations and has continued to evolve to include enhanced virtual and synthetic effects to improve exercise realism and tactical decision making.”
Federal Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson said the contract meant stability for everyone involved.
“Cubic does a fantastic job ensuring our soldiers have the equipment they need to do the training and simulation that is so important for them to be ready for deployment,” he said.
“Not only will a Townsville company be continuing to support Townsville troops, they’ll be creating even more jobs and internships into the future.”
Cubic Defence Australia supplied the original equipment and has supported the capability since 2006.
Cubic Defence Australia said the CTC-LIS enables the Australian military’s largest, most advanced, and potent teams to enhance their competitive advantage by empowering them to reach their potential; and the CTC-LIS provides the technology basis to achieve this mission.
The system is based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville and deploys regularly around the country to training events, including in some of the most remote training areas in Australia.
“The CTC-LIS was originally designed and delivered by our Cubic team in New Zealand and since that time, the system has continually evolved. Today, the CTC-LIS is almost entirely sovereign Australian capability,” said Miles Macdonald, Director of Operations Oceania, Cubic Defence Australia. “Our Australian Industry Team supporting the CTC-LIS is at the forefront of Live Training capability globally, and they are often called upon to provide expertise to support Cubic’s international programs.”
The CTC-LIS investment highlights the importance that the Australian Army places on Joint Land Force collective training.
“As the CTC-LIS is based in North Queensland, this contract will support the continued development of Systems Integration and Test capability in Australia, which is a Sovereign Industrial Capability priority, and provides further opportunities to support international programs,” said Mark Horn, Director of Strategic Development, Cubic Defence Australia.