Meggitt bags second EST II order

Meggitt Training Systems has been awarded a second $15.6 million delivery order for the Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) II system to the US Army and national guard's domestic and international locations, it announced on 17 May.

The order from the army's Program Executive Office for Simulation and Training (PEO STRI) includes dedicated authoring stations. Deliveries will begin in August 2016 and continue through to 2017.

Meggitt was originally awarded the five-year, $99 million, IDIQ contract in 2014. The programme covers over 1,000 new and upgraded systems and simulated weapons for army facilities worldwide. The new systems will provide training in collective CGI scenarios, judgmental video scenarios and marksmanship.

Meggitt's EST II features open architecture for ready integration of training modules from the company and third parties. Current Meggitt modules cover 3D marksmanship, with a tablet-enabled intelligent coaching application for trainers to change scenarios within the training session.

Jeff Murphy, president, Meggitt Training Systems, said: 'The US Army and national guard are upgrading their existing EST systems to the highly advanced EST II, and they've long recognised Meggitt as the strategic partner to help them with their training goals. The decision was made to modernise the inventory of small-arms trainers to integrate additional training capabilities as future requirements evolve.'

Mark Parr, EST program manager, said: 'With the distributed architecture, integration of the EST II with other training systems is more readily adapted. Tablet access by operators and soldiers, coupled with automatic coaching capabilities, provides a force multiplier for trainers. The EST II offers the US Army the means to provide a more consistent and efficient way to train their soldiers for challenges today and in the future.'