In This Issue - Cubic Corporation

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cubi C ircuit
July/August 2010
Marines come under small-arms fire during
a training exercise in the Infantry Immersion
Trainer at Camp Pendleton in Southern
California.
A crew works on a Cubic P5 pod at San Diego's Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. P5 is
the fifth generation of the air combat training
system that Cubic fielded 35 years ago at the
air base, when it was known as TOPGUN.
Cubic employees helped rebrand the San
Francisco Bay Area's regional smart card from
TransLink to Clipper. The new name and the
sail images on the card evoke 19th century
Clipper ships that once plied the city's harbor.
The opening of Cubic's Australasian Regional
Headquarters, in the heart of Sydney's central
business district, was celebrated with a party.
The Cubic-led Pearl Consortium won the contract for a new ticketing system in the city.
In This Issue
Infantry Immersion Trainer at Camp Pendleton uses a unique “mixed-reality” approach Acquisition of Safe Harbor Holdings seen helping Cubic expand in cyber security arena P5 air combat training system in use at the site of former
TOPGUN school New bar code scanner system developed for British rail line System for live, virtual and constructive training being developed Cubic wins follow-on order at Fort Jackson A conversation with Cubic Transportation Systems' Richard Wunderle Cubic wins contract to operate customer service center in Washington, D.C.
Cubic helps rebrand Clipper, the San Francisco Bay Area's smart card Australasian Regional Headquarters opens
11 SmartLink exceeds 50 percent of PATH fares 
11 London mayor praises Cubic's Sydney transit contract
in Sydney 
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Cubic tracking system showcased in Florida New CDAI/CAI “hybrid” office opens in Orlando
A Closer Look
Camp Pendleton combat trainer
Continued from Page 2
A group of Marines who just completed an exercise in Camp Pendleton's Infantry Immersion Trainer relax and talk about the experience.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Camp Pendleton as Afghan village
Trainer combines live and virtual elements
to replicate combat decision-making
“This is not a shoot house, it’s a decision house,” Tom Buscemi likes to
tell visitors to the Infantry Immersion Trainer (IIT) at Camp Pendleton.
Buscemi, a retired Marine major who was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, is director of the training center on the sprawling Southern California Marine base. His comment is meant to reinforce the notion that the
training center is designed to help Marines make the right decisions in
complex situations — not how to fire weapons.
There are lots of training centers on military bases all over the country,
but this one is not typical. For one thing, all the action has been indoors,
allowing both night and day training. The 22,000-square-foot center was
built within a 30,000-square-foot abandoned tomato packing plant on
the base. (An expansion nearing completion will be outdoors, however.)
More importantly, it is a “mixed-reality” trainer, incorporating both live
action, using human role-players and real weapons, along with simultaneous virtual-reality simulations featuring video “avatars.”
"It's unique within the Department of Defense,” said Buscemi about
the training center.
Because of its small size, the center was designed to train small groups
of about a dozen Marines at a time. More than 17,000 have passed through
the IIT since it opened in Nov. 2007, according to Buscemi. Three employees of Cubic Applications, Inc., — Matt Fennell, Kevin Armentrout
and Hak San — all with previous combat duty in Iraq, play a support
role by writing and staging the scenarios, observing the action and
reporting back to Marines after an exercise about what they did well
and not so well.
Buscemi credits them with making the center work. “If it wasn’t
for these guys who did actual combat, this training would be absolutely worthless,” he said.
Fennell, who had two tours in Iraq before retiring in 2008 as
a captain, is a Cubic infantry training analyst. The training center
underwent a make over that was completed in March, Fennell said,
transforming it from an Iraqi village to one in Afghanistan, reflecting
the change in the military mission of the Corps. The buildings are
now less colorful, much more sparsely furnished and Dari and Pashtu
are spoken instead of Arabic.
The training scenarios have also changed somewhat, Fennell said,
to reflect the more rural lifestyle of Afghanistan. They range from
“nonkinetic” exercises, such as a squad of Marines locating and meeting with a local tribal leader to talk about security, or kinetic scenarios
such as taking out a sniper.
Trainees use real weapons that fire bullets made of chalk. They
sting, but don’t penetrate. Face masks are required to protect the eyes,
however, and ear plugs are recommended.
On a recent day, Fennell was in charge as a group of Marines were
Continued on Page 3
tasked with contacting a village elder to encourage his cooperation in eliminating bad elements in his town, thereby allowing
medical supplies and other aid to be brought in. “The guy needs
to be won over,” Armentrout said. “How do we win him over?”
As the squad of Marines slowly makes its way down the
dark and narrow streets lined by dirt-colored buildings, the
Muslim call to prayer blares from loudspeakers. Fruit and slabs
of meat are for sale in a central bazaar. Suddenly shots ring out,
and then rocket-propelled grenades explode overhead with a
tremendous roar that echoes through the cavernous building.
The Marines eventually kill a gunman and carry off a Matt Fennell, a Cubic infantry training analyst, talks about plans for an exercise with two
wounded comrade before continuing on their mission. Fennell Marines who will participate.
watches all of it closely.
just sit down with them and have a candid conversation,” he said. “We
Some rooms in the village have animated computer video images
need to keep current.”
of men, women and children dressed in Afghan garb projected on the
Is the training effective?
wall. Some of the people are holding weapons. Anyone who enters has
In September, the U.S. Joint Forces Command will conduct a study
to decide in an instant if those he is confronting are hostile or benign.
at the Camp Pendleton installation to examine that question and to
Making the wrong decision likely means the “death” of Marines or inlook for ways to improve training for ground troops. Other studies have
nocent noncombatants.
found that training like the kind conducted on the Marine base inIt is these video images that make the IIT a possible prototype for
creases stress to levels approaching what soldiers experience in combat.
future training centers. "We had avatars long before the movie," said
Those who have participated in the training say that while nothing
Buscemi, the director, with a laugh.
can replicate the real thing, the IIT is as close as it gets.
Fennell said he makes a point of watching for Marines who stand
Sgt. Jason Syvrud, who has had three tours in Iraq, compared what
out as leaders when going through the trainer, and then tries to contact
he had gone through in the trainer to a firefight he experienced in a
them after they return from combat to learn from their experiences. “I
village outside of Fallujah. “We got ambushed, and it ended up being a
26-hour clearing of the city,” he said. “It was like this.”
The Department of Defense has endorsed the Camp Pendleton
program with money. The already completed work on the IIT cost $2.6
million, Buscemi said. A second phase, funded by the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), a DoD unit dedicated to finding ways to
counter improvised explosive devices, is spending about $25 million on
a major expansion expected to be completed in October. It will consist
of 60 new open-air buildings, about 120,000 square feet of space in
all, equipped with scent and smoke generators and other simulation
systems and more role-players.
Buscemi said he envisions one day using three-dimensional holographic avatars that Marines could interact with during the training,
but for now that technology isn’t available.
Until then, he said, the trainer will continue to use Hollywood
special effects, role-players and two-dimensional video avatars to give
Marines “a sights, sounds and smells inoculation” of what they may
A role player portraying an insurgent heads down a dark street in an Afghan
experience when they deploy.
-By Jim Okerblom, Circuit Editor
village toward a squad of Marines on patrol.
SAN DIEGO
Safe Harbor Holdings acquisition
seen helping Cubic expand in
growing cyber security market
Cubic has acquired Safe Harbor Holdings, Inc., a Vienna, Virginiabased supplier of customized hardware and software for cyber solutions.
Safe Harbor provides specialized cyber security and networking infrastructure solutions, including systems design, cross-domain product
development and deployment, enterprise network architecture and engineering, access controls, and common cross-domain framework solutions comprised of multilevel controlled interfaces.
The firm has approximately 30 cyber security engineers and professionals located in the Northern Virginia area and serving specialized
intelligence and defense clients.
“This acquisition launches Cubic’s participation in the cyber security market and enhances our network security credentials in the
intelligence community,” stated Jeff C. Snyder, Vice President of Cyber Solutions for Cubic Defense Applications, Inc., which announced
the acquisition June 22. “Safe Harbor’s innovative solutions, important customer relationships, and outstanding professional staff will
form the nucleus of our cyber delivery capability in the Washington,
D.C. area.”
“We are looking forward to pursuing new business opportunities
as part of Cubic,” said Ken Bratchie, Safe Harbor President. “Cubic’s
proven systems integration capabilities and worldwide presence will
accelerate the growth of our cross-domain XD products business.”
“The Safe Harbor team is excited to become part of the Cubic
family,” said Keith Filzen, Safe Harbor Chief Technology Officer.
Acquisition of Safe Harbor Holdings is the first step in Cubic’s
strategic cyber initiative to expand the company’s presence in the rapidly growing cyber security market.
7-8/10 3
In Focus
New Technology
SAN DIEGO
LONDON
P5 system fielded to site
of first instrumented air
range in America
More than 35 years ago, Cubic Corporation installed the world’s
first instrumented air combat training system at the Navy Fighter
Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN. The system tracked and
recorded the performance of pilots during simulated dogfights, taking
all of the guesswork out of knowing who won the engagement.
History has come full circle with the fielding of the fifth generation
of this system at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It was the original
location of TOPGUN before the school moved in 1996 to Naval Air
Station Fallon, Nevada, and the P5 Combat Training System/Tactical
Combat Training System (P5CTS/TCTS) was installed shortly after
Miramar celebrated the 40th anniversary of TOPGUN last year.
Cubic Defense Applications, Inc., the defense systems business
of Cubic, and subcontractor DRS Technologies developed P5CTS/
TCTS.
Installing TCTS where instrumented combat training was born
means that this generation of Miramar fighter pilots has the capability
to train anywhere, anytime without the need for a fixed ground infrastructure. Portable airborne and ground subsystems make the system
“rangeless,” and that is changing the scenery of training for the six F/A18 Hornet squadrons at Miramar. Instead of flying over mostly inland
and desert airspace shared with MCAS Yuma and Naval Air Facility
El Centro, they can soar over the deep blue sea of the Pacific, where
advanced flight maneuvers can take place.
“It has added a tremendous amount of flexibility,” said Major Paul
Mackenzie, director of safety and standardization for VMFA(AW)-121,
the USMC’s venerable Green Knights squadron.
Miramar’s TCTS notched its first joint use during a large training
exercise off the coast of San Diego in January.
“We were working in correlation with Air Force units that were
down here and a couple of Navy units as well,” explained another Green
Knight, Capt. Jonathan Ashmore. “We were able to all fly together,
then do mass debriefs where we could replay the entire exercise using
the TCTS system.
It seemed very user-friendly, and the system for us as far as debriefing worked really well. It seemed that the capability is much better than
the previous TACTS system pods that we were using.
“There were some limitations with the old system just based on
range with the ground relay system.” Ashmore added. “This one has
a much better capability further out over the water, and that enhances
A P5-equipped F/A-18 takes off at Miramar air base.
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Promising new bar code scanner system
developed for England's Chiltern Railways
“As the interest from national TOCs increases, Cubic’s bar code
Cubic has introduced a new system that uses a bar code reader to
reader system will ‘travel’ far and wide. Indeed, we are already well advalidate railway fare payments.
vanced in Germany where Cubic delivers a mobile phone ticketing sysThe new system got its start when Train Operating Company
tem using 2-D bar codes to four transport operators. This technology is
(TOC) Chiltern Railways asked Cubic to investigate how bar code
here to stay.”
technology could be developed to offer its traveling public
yet another way to buy and present their tickets. Chiltern
operates passenger trains between London's Marylebone
station and the Snow Hill station in Birmingham.
The result was a Proof of Concept (PoC) bar code
reader back-office solution installed at Marylebone, one of
the company's most charming and renowned railway stations. As of June, Cubic’s completed bar code solution has
• 2D bar code technology working with RS332/Aztec industry been operating at Marylebone and rolled out to the High
standards
Wycombe, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, Leamington Spa
• Reader processes bar code presentation in just three quarters and Aylesbury stations.
of a second
So what is behind the bar code reader technology?
• Mobile phone or online pre-purchase of travel tickets
“The bar code reader attaches to the stanchion of an
• Increased use of bar code ticketing streamlines ticket
existing Cubic gate,” explained Cubic system engineer
halls
• Frees up railway staff for other duties
Graham Kelly. “The traveling customer will present a prepurchased bar code to the large display read window, either
by means of a mobile phone or paper printout. If validated,
Under the scanner...
Capt. Ramsey Brame checks a P5 pod at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
our training as far as allowing us to train in different areas, not just one
range specifically,” Ashmore said. “I think it would really enhance training when we are forward deployed or in other areas.”
For now, the Marines are using their new system close to home to
monitor and record air-to-air dogfights.
The system’s ability to accurately portray relative positions between
aircraft is probably its most mission-critical feature, and that was true
of the original instrumentation system that Cubic delivered to Marine
Corps Air Station Yuma and Naval Air Station Miramar in the early
1970s. That first-generation system attracted a lot of attention when it
was featured in debriefing scene in the 1986 Paramount movie, Top Gun.
A Short History of ACMI
The real TOPGUN wasn’t created to inspire a hit movie. It was
established at the height of the Vietnam War, when North Vietnamese pilots flying brand-new MiGs were taking a toll on American lives.
The Navy reexamined its teaching of air combat maneuvering skills and
formed the Navy Fighter Weapons School, with the VF-121 training
squadron at Miramar supplying the initial instructors.\
Concurrently, a 480-page analysis of U.S. air-to-air missile capabilities known as the Ault Report identified a need to improve both dogfighting tactics and knowledge of missile systems to make U.S. aircrews
more effective within their missile firing envelopes. The Ault Report
proposed two instrumented air combat maneuvering ranges – one for the
Navy and Marine Corps, and one for the Air Force – where pilots could
be tracked and monitored while engaging in live simulated dogfights.
No one disagreed with the need, and MCAS Yuma aircrews started
flying on the first of the two instrumented ranges in December 1973.
NAS Miramar came aboard in January 1974, and El Centro joined the
formation not long afterward. Now TCTS is operational at all three of
these military bases. NAS Fallon, the new location of TOPGUN, is due
to receive their TCTS system later this year.
Then and now, the training instrumentation’s key components include airborne instrumentation subsystems, communications relay systems and debriefing systems. However, important technological changes
have taken place over the past 35 years.
While the original Cubic-developed system at Miramar tracked up
to eight aircraft during training flights, today’s TCTS can track up to 72
aircraft during training exercises, and can be integrated to track soldiers
and vehicles as well.
Cubic’s original system tracked aircraft movements by means of
eight ground sites, with a minimum of three fixed communications staContinued on Page 7
Details about Cubic’s bar code reader
The purchased bar code is
delivered to either a mobile
phone or to a computer for
printing out a hard copy.
the gate will open. It’s that simple, and at around three
quarters of a second as fast as the existing gate process.”
Passengers can either pre-purchase their tickets online via the respective TOC website, or by a soon to be
launched mobile phone service. The purchased bar code
is delivered to either a mobile phone or to a computer for
printing out a hard copy.
“So far,” Kelly said, “the majority of passengers are
choosing the printed bar code option, but as TOCs widen
the ticket types available we are expecting a pronounced
uptake in mobile phone bar code ticket purchases.”
The potential for fraud is minimized because the bar
code can be marked up by the system once it has been used,
and so cannot be reused. Passengers can buy their tickets
in advance and bypass station ticket offices completely and
head straight to the platform. This helps rail operators to
deploy staff elsewhere during busiest times, as fewer customers will be queuing up at ticket office windows to buy
their tickets.
Cubic project manager Pat Morey has steered the bar
code initiative from PoC to production phase, pulling in
software and hardware development, installation and testing divisions when required.
“It is this diversely skilled but cohesive teamwork that
enables Cubic to continually deliver intelligent solutions
for today’s traveling public,” Morey said. “And the response
from the traveling public has been really encouraging.
7-8/10 5
New Technology
ORLANDO
New system will meld technologies for LVC training
A new system being developed by the Cubic Innovation and Technology Center in Orlando will integrate software and technologies to
provide what is known as “live, virtual and constructive” (LVC) training
in one portable and expandable package.
“Our goal would be to establish Cubic as a leader in training security
forces,” said John Lewis, Director of Live, Virtual, Constructive Programs for Cubic Defense Applications, Inc. (CDAI) “It is in some ways
a new product line, a new customer focus, for Cubic.”
Called the Security Immersive Training System (SITS), the concept
calls for a core package for providing constructive training that can be
expanded to incorporate virtual and live training, all at the same time.
For the project, Cubic is partnering with Albuquerque-based RhinoCorps, which makes a constructive simulation software tool called
Simajin®. SITS will also incorporate a powerful computer gaming engine and 3-D terrain software similar to Google Earth.
The core of SITS will be made from commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and will be designed so that existing Cubic products — the COMBATREDI™ virtual-reality trainer, the Multiple Integrated Laser
Engagement System–Individual Weapons System (MILES-IWS) and
the Initial–Homestation Instrumentation Training System (I-HITS)
— can be integrated with it.
“We are integrating all these different products to come up with a
mission-rehearsal course-of-action system,” said Ron Allen, a Principal
Systems Engineer for CDAI.
“It has the potential to be something very substantial. The cool
thing about it is it’s not very expensive.”
LVC training is a combination of three categories:
Live, the old standby, is training in the real world using real people
and actual equipment, including soldiers and combat vehicles equipped
with laser weapon simulators such as Cubic's MILES gear. It has a disadvantage of being expensive and hard on equipment, but provides the
most “fidelity” — a term that describes the realism of training.
Virtual uses software and computer hardware, such as flight simulators or COMBATREDI, allowing humans to interact with a virtual
environment, as when playing a computer video game. It is relatively
inexpensive, but lacks some of the fidelity of live training.
Constructive training uses simulated people acting out computerized scenarios in simulated environments. Humans provide input, such
as the location of equipment, barriers and forces, but the outcome is
determined by the simulation software. Constructive training allows
scenarios to be easily repeated thousands of times with subtle changes,
but has the least fidelity of the three.
Finding the proper mix of these three categories to provide training
that is worthwhile yet cost-effective is the Holy Grail for military and
security planners these days.
The concept for SITS emerged when Cubic officials were brainstorming the kinds of threats and potential threats the military and security forces are training for today. “We decided there was a training gap
that existed,” Lewis said.
SITS will consist of a core system of two large flat-screen TVs, a
touch-screen LCD display and computer laptops running the gaming,
Continued on Page 7
SITS aims for LVC leadership
Continued from Page 6
terrain and constructive-simulation software. The right screen, for
example, could display a high-resolution 3-D overhead view of the
terrain, with avatars for vehicles and people playing out the constructive simulation. The left screen, powered by the gaming engine, could
display a realistic perspective from the view of a soldier at a sniper post
watching the action unfold.
“What you are giving is different points of view,” Lewis said.
“Your driver becomes the constructive simulation.”
The touch screen would allow planners to manipulate various elements in the scenario to see how that affects the outcome.
If a customer wanted to add virtual training, Allen said, SITS
will come in enhanced packages integrating existing Cubic systems.
One would allow, say, a squad of a dozen Marines wearing COMBATREDI equipment, and training in a 3-D virtual environment,
to be incorporated into the constructive training, appearing on the
SITS screen as two-dimensional elements of the scenario. Or, using
MILES-IWS and I-HITS gear, soldiers participating in live training
could also be added to the mix.
“We are designing it so that when a customer buys a system, they
are not locked in to it,” Allen said. “They can use what they have already, or what they buy in the future.”
Vulnerability assessments of sites facing potential threats, and special-event scenario development, are among the most important uses
envisioned for the system. For example, Lewis said, a scenario could
be an assessment of an Olympic stadium, with security forces inside
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SITS Capabilities
- By Jim Okerblom, Circuit Editor
SOUTH CAROLINA
Services include Soldier Readiness Preparation and training, which
includes individual and crew-serve weapon systems, first aid, communications, IED, VBIED, and convoy operations. Additional support provided includes Battalion S1 and S4 augmentation, transportation and
motor pool support, ammunition storage and issue, and storage accountability, issue, recovery and repair of all weapons.
Mission Support Services (MSS), a business unit of Cubic Corporation, has been awarded a two-year follow-on task order worth more
than $5.5 million to prepare active-duty Navy personnel and Army reservists for deployment at the McCrady Training Center on Fort Jackson, an Army base in South Carolina.
Task Force Marshall (TFM) is headquartered at the McCrady
Training Center. Their missions are providing Army basic-skills refresher training to active-duty Navy personnel being deployed to support Joint/Army units and to screen, process, and mobilize Individual
Ready Reserve soldiers about to be deployed. TFM supports Army
Force Generation (ARFORGEN), a program designed to ensure a
steady supply of trained and ready combat units.
In 2005, Task Force Marshall began training Navy personnel for
deployment with Army units in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations
overseas. Most of the sailors have no Army training, such as land navigation and firing an M-16. “Our personnel process and prepare them
with the basic skills necessary to be integrated more quickly into Joint/
Army Units,” said Don Laney, Business Unit Director at Omega Training Group, Inc. The task order will be performed by MSS’s Omega
Training Group, Inc., headquartered in Georgia.
Cubic won an initial task order in June 2008 for support services at
Fort Jackson. The new two year task order, which began July 1, utilizes
40 Cubic and 14 subcontractor employees.
Since award of the initial task order in 2008, Laney said, “We have
provided support and training for more than 4,800 soldiers and 14,500
sailors readying for deployment.”
P5 system fielded at Miramar
Cubic awarded follow-on
order for support services
at Fort Jackson Army base
The core of the SITS system is three display screens showing imagery from a constructive training simulator, a terrain generator and a gaming engine. The
system will be capable of expanding to integrate existing Cubic systems such as COMBATREDI and MILES-IWS.
and outside protecting it and terrorists
staging an attack. Security planners could
• Force on Force, Counterterrorism, Direct Action Engagement
manipulate
numer• Execution of Security Team Tactics, Techniques ous elements, such as
and Procedures
entry points for the
• Security Planning Team Course of Action terrorists, explosions,
Development, Execution and Assessment
the location of direct• Facility and Critical Asset Vulnerability, Protection Planning and Assessment
action teams and snip• Crisis Response Planning and Assessment
ers, emergency routes,
• Mission Rehearsal
traffic, communica• Scenario Development, Performance Feedback tions and even the
and Lessons Learned
reaction of the crowd.
Running the simulation again and again would help determine the best ways for security
forces to set up for and respond to a variety of attacks. Security training
exercises and support and threat analysis are other potential uses.
“You can essentially replicate all of the realism of a given event,”
Lewis said.
Allen said SITS could also be integrated with Cubic’s new Safety and
Security Management System, which uses small transmitter modules to
track people and vehicles, or even smart cell phones, and used for managing assets during actual military or security operations. With the right
equipment, he said, the system could even monitor things like the heart
rate, breathing, blood-oxygen levels and fatigue of individual soldiers in
the field.
Plans call for a demonstration system to be ready for a security conference in Monterey, California at the end of August.
Continued from Page 4
tions necessary to triangulate the aircraft’s position in time and space
at a given moment. Today’s transportable air combat training pods use
GPS tracking and require no fixed communications infrastructure. Airto-air range is 80 nautical miles, and ground-based antennas provide an
air-to-ground range of more than 125 miles.
Both the old and the new generations of the air combat training
system include debriefing displays that features a “God’s eye” or centroid view as well as a pilot view. But today’s debriefing displays do so
much more. Instead of a two-dimensional linear display, they feature
three-dimensional and multiscreen views using high-resolution maps.
Users can zoom in and out on points of interest. The new debrief systems are also significantly smaller than their predecessors. Aircrews can
now evaluate their performance on laptop computers as well as in formal debriefing theaters.
In addition to these standard features, TCTS can be configured
to include simulated ground threats, no drop weapons scoring, effects
of electronic warfare attacks — items highly relevant for 21st century
warfare.
With today’s technological tools, VMFA(AW)-121 and Miramar’s other fighter squadrons will write a new chapter in the history of
instrumented air combat training. But the ending will be the same as it
was for VF-121 — U.S. air superiority and saved American lives.
-By Jan Stevens, Corporate Communications Manager
7-8/10 7
Executive's Corner
SAN DIEGO
From accountant to general manager
Richard Wunderle recalls his
33-year career at Cubic and
ponders what’s ahead
Richard Wunderle has been Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cubic Transportation Systems since October 2008.
Prior to this appointment, he was the senior vice president of financial
operations. He was a controller at Cubic Defense Applications through 1991
and has spent the last 18 years at the transportation business unit.
Wunderle earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from San Diego
State University and his MBA from the University of San Diego. Recently,
Wunderle agreed to answer a series of questions posed by the Circuit.
I didn’t notice the mustard and I stuck my elbow in it, and it was my one
and only suit. It worked out OK, since I got the job.
The Cubic Western Data (now Cubic Transportation Systems) operation was alongside Highway 163 in the same location it is today, but I
wouldn’t transfer there until 1991. At the time I went to work at Corporate/Defense, which was all one business unit, the ACMI /ACMR were
the main products with some antenna programs as well.
The dress code was suit and tie, there was no such thing as “casual
Friday.” Walter J. Zable’s office was in the corner office of Building 1. I
was a cost accountant and for two weeks every year I was the substitute
timekeeper on the shop floor, which meant I reviewed and confirmed that
everyone had eight hours on their time sheets. There were very few offices,
with most employees working in a “bullpen” arrangement.
All our reports were done by hand, with what seemed to be miles
of calculator tape piling up on the floor. Desktop computers as we know
them today didn’t exist then. Now I feel like I’m dating myself.
It was 19 years ago that you moved to the transportation side of the business. How did that happen, and
what was it like?
Cubic Automatic Revenue Collection Group, or CARCG, as it was
known back then, was on the verge of winning the New York MetroCard
contract, which was then the largest in Cubic history.
So CARCG was expanding in preparation for the contract. Tom Baz
and Ray deKozan asked me if I was interested in moving to CARCG to
help with that and several other new contracts. I interviewed with Ray and
I moved over here a couple of weeks later in May 1991.
The New York contract was challenging to say the least and many
folks worked around the clock for years to achieve the success we ultimately have had in New York.
One of the things on the horizon is advances in fare
payment systems, using cell phones, credit cards and
perhaps other devices. How do you see this technology
developing?
Richard Wunderle
When did you start at Cubic? What was your job
when you started? Where had you worked before?
I started working for Cubic straight out of college in January 1977,
as a cost accountant. Prior to that, I had the typical kind of jobs that
high school and college kids have, driving a delivery truck, house
painting, etc.
Describe what the company was like then. How
many employees were there, what were some of its
major products? Are there any anecdotes that would
give us a sense of things?
Only what we know now as Buildings 1 and 2 existed back then. I
interviewed for my first job in the same cafeteria that is there today and
someone had spilled mustard on the table where I sat for the interview.
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There are several exciting and new technologies emerging that will
support mobile and open payment with any fare collection device that
meets the contactless and banking standards. Cubic is doing considerable
development in these areas.
Eventually, most cell phones will have a contactless chip inside so they
can be used just like a contactless bank card, to pay for transit rides and any
other purchases where bank cards are accepted. At CTS we have received
type approval on our Tri-Reader 3 card reader which enables our revenue management systems to now be able to accept these types of banking
transactions. This will reduce the number of different cards that people
tend to carry in their wallets, and make buying “stuff,” whether a ride on
a train or a purchase at a retail store, much more convenient and efficient.
CTS’ customer base and its business model have
changed from a system delivery to a complete services
provider. Talk about the challenges and opportunities
associated with that shift.
Many of our current proposal activities deal with customers who want
a complete service provided for automated fare collection. They no longer
are simply making an equipment purchase but rather are asking suppliers
to provide start-to-finish services for terms as long as 10 years. These comprehensive services include customer service to engineering to financial
Continued on page 9
Richard Wunderle interview
Continued from page 8
management and technical support.
This is the type of business that we have organized ourselves to obtain.
The long-term service provision is a more predictable business. Actually,
over 50 percent of our business today comes from services and we hope
to expand that mix in the future. We currently have such contracts in
Brisbane, London, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
There has been talk about possible opportunities
for expansion in Vancouver, and perhaps elsewhere in
Canada. Can you address that?
Cubic’s most recent success story in Canada is the ticketing and revenue management system for the new Canada Line, which opened 15
weeks ahead of schedule and was the nation’s showcase project for the
2010 Winter Olympic Games in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canada Line is the third line in the SkyTrain metro network.
Cubic also provided the revenue management systems for the Expo and
Millennium lines, as well as for Coast Mountain Bus, Cubic’s first project
in Vancouver.
We believe Vancouver will be soliciting proposals this summer to provide gates and do a smart card implementation. This will be a terrific opportunity for CTS to expand its presence in Vancouver. We also have a
service contract in Toronto for various suites of Cubic equipment as well.
Last year CTS completed the purchase and acquisition of assets from Vix ERG, a competitor. How has
that changed CTS’ opportunities in the Bay Area and
elsewhere in its operations?
Over the last year CTS has been successful in the Bay Area. Our team
has completed the design and build phase that Vix ERG started. CTS has
several new contracts to supply fare-collection equipment to Muni, which
is run by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and is the
largest transit system in the Bay Area. The contracts with Muni are a di-
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Cubic wins $10 million
contract to run WMATA
customer service center
Cubic Transportation Systems has been awarded a $10 million contract to manage and operate the SmarTrip® Regional Customer Service
Center (RCSC) for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C. SmarTrip is WMATA’s smart
card-based fare collection system, designed and integrated by Cubic
more than 10 years ago.
Cubic’s services for the RCSC will begin in July and will include
operation of the patron call center where cardholders can call or e-mail
to register their smart card, receive account information, retrieve lost
passwords for online ordering and more. Cubic also will deliver and operate a smart card fulfillment center for SmarTrip card orders, and will
deliver and support a merchant retail network where customers can buy
and reload value on their smart cards.
Initially, these services will support SmarTrip’s two million customers and 200 retail merchants across the region. The SmarTrip system includes WMATA and nine regional bus operators in Virginia, Maryland
and Washington, D.C. In the future, Cubic’s services will expand with
the inclusion of the CharmCard system operated by the Maryland Transit
rect result of the Vix ERG asset purchase we made last year.
Another big milestone was on June 16 when the Metropolitan
Transit Commission, the local government agency that handles
transportation planning and financing for the nine counties in the
Bay Area, launched a rebranded regional smart card. The card's name
was changed from TransLink to Clipper. The Clipper system allows
commuters to use this new smart card on any regional transportation.
We were heavily involved in preparation for the launch.
Is CTS pursuing any new research and development?
CTS is currently developing some exciting new products that will
be required by our customers in the near future. Most of these products are more services-based and we will provide them as part of our
contracts.
Our customers want to give their customers the ability to use standard bank-issued credit/debit cards for payment to ride public transit.
This means that the commuters will simply present their contactless
credit or debit card at the gate in a rail station or at a farebox on a bus
and that fare will appear on their next monthly bill or statement.
To accomplish this, CTS has developed a new card reader that
meets the required card standards from the financial payments world,
as well as a sophisticated software engine to process the transactions.
What are a few of the things you are most proud
of accomplishing while at Cubic?
In the last several years, I’ve been fortunate to work with what has
been as dedicated, hard-working and professional a team of individuals as any group since I’ve been at Cubic.
The team’s long endless hours, lost weekends and hard work to
meet schedules and budgets continue to amaze me and they deserve
recognition for their outstanding performance. For example, the engineering group at CTS is performing better than at any time I can
remember and during the last ISO audit was singled out as having the
“best practices” in processes that the auditor has ever seen.
Administration, also designed and delivered by Cubic.
“This win supports Cubic’s strategic focus and commitment to
excellent customer service,” said Dave Lapczynski, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Services for Cubic Transportation Systems.
“We are
particularly
pleased with our ability to
offer a high-quality service
to WMATA’s SmarTrip
customers, who will benefit
from our position as the system designer. It allows us to
provide an end-to-end solution with higher efficiencies.”
The contract is for a
three-year term, with an option to extend for two more
years. The option value is
$6.8 million.
The patron call center
will be co-located in Cubic’s customer service center
in Concord, California and
smart card orders and merchant retail support will be
managed locally from Cubic’s
Washington, D.C. office.
Cubic WMATA smart card and reader
7-8/10 9
Special Events
Program Update
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
NEW JERSEY
Clipper sets sail in S.F. Bay
For the past two months, ClipperSM card reader technology and
decals have materialized on fareboxes, gates and ticketing machines
throughout the San Francisco Bay Area transportation network. Cubic
Transportation Systems installed the Clipper branding and is now in
charge of distributing the new smart card to local commuters.
Featuring colorful abstract artwork symbolizing 19th century Clipper ships, the reloadable Clipper card allows riders to transfer from one
transit agency to another by simply touching the card to the Clipper card
reader on board each bus or at rail stations — using one card to pay for
all the rides. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC),
the agency that plans, coordinates and finances transportation projects
in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, chose the name Clipper
Photos by Noah Berger
Clipper was officially launched during an event on the waterfront.
AUSTRALIA
New Sydney office opens
A new region was added to Cubic Transportation Systems’ global
presence with the official opening of the new Australasian Regional
Headquarters in Sydney.
The Cubic-led Pearl Consortium recently won a $370 million contract to provide a new smart card ticketing system for Australia’s largest
city. The new offices, in the heart of Sydney’s central business district,
will be the center for the ticketing project, including integrated test facilities shared with the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation.
Addressing a packed crowd at a June 28 celebration, Cubic’s Regional Managing Director, Matt Cole, outlined plans for the system, which
will be based on the world’s biggest and best smart card system — the
London Oyster® card.
“Fifteen months ago I was sent to Sydney by our President Steve
Shewmaker with one simple objective — repeat that feat on the other
side of the world,” Cole said. “To establish a regional headquarters on a
par with our headquarters in London and San Diego, and to use the win
in Sydney as a springboard for our business operations in Asia Pacific.
"Due to a lot of hard work, dedication, expertise — even blood, sweat
and tears of the people in this room — tonight we reach one of those
important milestones.”
“The Government applauds and supports Cubic’s decision to locate its
new regional headquarters here in Sydney, as that brings the hope of the
creation of hundreds of new jobs in this state, particularly in a high-tech
area,” New South Wales (NSW) Transport Minister John Robertson
told the gathering.
Judith Fergin, the U.S. Consul General, described Sydney as “one of
10
cubic ircuit
because of its connection with
the region’s transportation
history.
In the mid 1800s, San
Francisco was a port for the
Clipper ships that brought
many of the 49ers seeking gold to California. In
the 1930s and 1940s, Flying Steve Shewmaker, President of Cubic
Clipper amphibious airplanes Transportation Systems (left), with MTC
flew to and from the city. Executive Director Steve Heminger at
Clipper launch.
Baseball fans also like the
connection to Joe DiMaggio, the Yankee Clipper, who was born and
raised in the Bay Area.
Cubic joined with MTC officials in officially launching the new
smart card on June 16. So far, Muni, BART, AC Transit, Golden Gate
Transit, Golden Gate Ferry and Caltrain — representing about 80 percent of Bay area transit riders — are on the regional smart card bandwagon. Eventually, 25 transit agencies plan to use the Clipper system.
In addition to swapping TransLink decals and modifying card readers to accept the new smart card, Cubic’s Concord employees helped
MTC create the new Clipper website, which Cubic will maintain. Concord employees also install and upgrade hardware and software, operate a call center and repair depot, provide field maintenance, and supply
central system administration, financial settlement and clearing for Bay
Area transit agencies.
“Cubic has a complete end-to-end service offering in the Bay Area,”
noted Richard Wunderle, Senior Vice President and General Manager
of Cubic Transportation Systems.
the world’s most glorious cities. Its natural attractions and its man-made
enhancements, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, make it one of the most
beautiful cities on earth.”
“Sydney is and will continue to be a city on the move,” Fergin added,
“and the contribution that Cubic and its partners are making with this
project will enable it to move better, faster and smarter in the 21st century, and that will be good for everyone who lives in or visits Sydney. “
Cubic Transportation Systems Australia already employs more than
200 people at facilities in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. That number will
grow substantially over the next few years as the company expands.
SmartLink use grows
to more than 50%
of PATH train fares
Editor's note : The following story originally appeared on the Railway
Track & Structures website and is reprinted with permission. Cubic built
the SmartLink fare collection system used on PATH trains, a commuter line
between New York City and Newark operated by the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey. Cubic also developed New York City's MetroCard system; its cards are accepted on PATH trains too.
Sales of smart cards for travel on PATH trains has hit a record,
jumping to more than 50 percent of market share on the rail line.
Smart-card use, which has tripled in two years, has eclipsed use
of MetroCards, which total about 40 percent of payment methods on
PATH lines. PATH QuickCards make up most of the remainder of
fare choices. PATH's automated fare collection system was installed in
2003 to phase out obsolete payment methods of cash and magneticstrip cards.
PATH SmartLink is a plastic state-of-the-art contactless card that
features an embedded computer chip that tracks the number of PATH trips available or travel days remaining for
a customer. Cards may be automatically replenished when
linked to a customer's credit card.
Growth of the smart card is just one of the Port Authority's efforts to upgrade PATH from one of the nation's
oldest rail systems to one of the most modern. The 10year, multibillion dollar program calls for replacing all 340
PATH railcars by 2011, replacing the line's signal system
and modernizing stations.
In 2010, the Port Authority's overall $3.1-billion capital budget includes $357 million for capital spending on
PATH projects to help create a 21st century system that
ensures the rail line's long-term viability, improves reliability and protects the safety of our riders. Last year alone,
PATH handled nearly 72.6 million passengers.
Replacement of older rail cars, some of which date to
the mid-1960s, is well under way, with more than onethird of the entire new 340-car fleet already delivered by One of the new trains on PATH, a commuter line between New York City and Newark.
AUSTRALIA
Cubic's Sydney transit contract
lauded by London's mayor
Judith Fergin, U.S. Consul General in Sydney, cuts a cake at the opening of Cubic's Australasian Regional Headquarters. Diplomats, local politicians, transport leaders and Pearl Consortium partners and suppliers attended the event.
the Yonkers-based manufacturer, Kawasaki Rail Car. A total of 102 new
trains already are in full service, with
17 others in the acceptance test phase.
Another 91 railcars are anticipated
for delivery by year's end, with the
remainder on track to arrive in 2011.
“Our multibillion investment in
PATH is helping to transform it into the nation's most modern commuter rail system — from the way customers pay to the cars they ride in,”
said Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia. “We are keeping our
long-term promise to invest in mass transit to help ease traffic congestion
and improve the region's quality of life.”
“Investing in PATH is an investment in our region's mobility,” said
Bill Baroni, the Port Authority's deputy executive director.
“For nearly 50 years, the Port Authority has operated PATH, saving
it from bankruptcy at the outset and embarking on the modernization
program in recent years. We want to make sure PATH is a model transit
system for the nation over the next half-century.”
PATH's antiquated mechanical signal system is giving way to a
state-of-the-art computerized signal system that will improve reliability,
safety and operations. The upgrade means less distance will be required
between trains, increasing system capacity by up to 20 percent when the
project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.
Cubic's new contract to provide an “Oyster-style” smart card ticketing system to greater Sydney, Australia has earned the commendation of
one of London’s most famous public transit advocates.
New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally revealed in the NSW
Parliament that London Mayor Boris Johnson had written to her in
person. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Johnson had written a
letter to Keneally, who during a session of Parliament “brandished the
aforesaid letter and explained that Johnson had saluted her decision to
adopt a ticketing system similar to London’s Oyster® smart card.” Cubic developed the London system.
In his letter to Keneally, Johnson wrote: "Can I salute your decision
to purchase an Oyster-style system for Sydney? Our integrated smart
card system is one of the jewels in London's transportation crown, and I
am delighted to see it taken up in another World City.
“We believe that Oyster is a foolproof method to change people's
behavior in favor of greener and more sustainable public transportation.
“The effect smart cards had in London, if mirrored in your stunning
city, will see public transportation in Sydney grow exponentially. As a fellow cyclist, I am sure you will notice the benefits in terms of reduced
congestion on the roads.
“Boardings under Oyster account for around half of our nation's
daily journeys, which is a testament
to the bold simplicity of the system.
“In summary, you are to be commended on a splendid effort.”
Cubic Transportation Systems'
President Steve Shewmaker commented: “After the team’s superb efforts over many months, it’s an added bonus for the Pearl Consortium’s
success (in Sydney) to be recognized
in such high places.”
Johnson's May 6 letter to Keneally
7-8/10 11
In the News
FLORIDA
Rep. Miller reviews
tracking operation at
Eglin Air Force Base
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) visited the Shalimar office of Cubic Applications, Inc. (CAI) to meet employees and see the results of his efforts
in securing funding for the Eglin Air Force Base Joint Test and Training Operation Control Capability (JTTOCC).
Both the CAI office and the majority of Eglin are within the 1st
Congressional District, which Miller represents. He is a member of the
House Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
During his visit, CAI employees gave an overview of the Shalimar
operations, demonstrated the tracking and communications capabilities
developed as a result of an Eglin Congressional Initiative and held a
town hall meeting with the congressman.
The capabilities the CAI engineers developed provide entity tracking throughout the 724-square-mile Eglin Range complex, with well
over 90 percent coverage without additional infrastructure. Other capabilities include GeoFences (virtual fences) that alert the operation
center as entities go into and out of selected areas, remote device configuration, and customizable map overlays using Google Earth™ for a
Common Operating Picture to display and track entities.
Live tracking has actually shown people changing lanes on highways, and CAI has tracked people in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas
from its office in Shalimar. At the heart of the CAI system is the Asset
Management Suite (AMS), which provides situational awareness, asset control, entity identification, track histories and event recording for
after-action reviews and replay. The AMS has a real-time monitoring
Rep. Jeff Miller (left) talks to Al Lynch, a lead senior engineer, about a 40-foot
mobile antenna used with a Cubic tracking system during Miller's visit to CAI
office in Shalimar, Florida.
capability with remotely adjustable update rates from once per second to
once per week and a remote (field) situational-awareness capability. The
system uses a Mobile Client Application that CAI engineers developed
for use in a variety of cell phones and PDAs.
The system has broad applications including additional DoD ranges, the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and state and local
first responders, said Al Lynch, the JTTOCC Project Leader. Future
applications which may be examined by Eglin include access control,
gate monitoring and remote locking, streaming video, live weather and
even UAV data-feed applications.
FLORIDA
First CDAI/CAI ‘hybrid’
office opens in Orlando
Cubic's first “hybrid” office — housing employees from both Cubic Defense Applications, Inc.
(CDAI) and Cubic Applications, Inc. (CAI) — held an open house recently for local government and military leaders in Orlando's Research Park. In photo above, left to right, are Capt.
Smokey Robinson, NAWCTSD/CC; Col. Marcus Boyd, AFAMS/CC; Col. Ken Wheeler, Deputy
Program Executive Officer (operations) PEO STRI; Mr. Rob Reyenga, Deputy Program Executive Officer (civilian) PEO STRI; and Brad Feldmann, President of CDAI. At left, Lt. Col. Walt
Yates, Program Manager for Range Training Aids/Devices and Simulations with PM TRASYS, is
pictured with Rich Bristow, Vice President and General Manager of CAI's Operations Support
Division.
cubi C ircuit
Editor: Jim Okerblom
e-mail: jim.okerblom@cubic.com
San Diego photography: Daniel Kingsbury
Published by the Corporate Communications Department
© Cubic Corporation All rights reserved
12
cubic ircuit
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San Diego, CA. 92123
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and offices, go to:
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