Lockheed lands $288 million deal for training system

A modern, laser-based combat training system for military vehicles that leaders hope will replace older, legacy trainers will be built, at least partially, in Orlando.

The U.S. Army announced Friday that it had selected Lockheed Martin for a $288 million contract to build its training system, known as VTESS.

Officials with the company would not say what percentage of the work will be done in Orlando, citing competitive reasons, but said it was “significant.”

The Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System would incorporate small sensors that detect lasers emitted from other hardware.

When the sensors detect a direct hit, the vehicle or soldier would be notified.

Orlando is home to a robust military simulation cluster, with companies, such as Cubic, joining Lockheed in the area for simulation-based products. Lockheed Martin partnered with Saab Defense and Security, which also has a significant presence in Orlando, to make a bid for the deal.

VTESS will eventually replace the MILES system, a trainer that uses laser taglike devices that connect with sensors on a vest strapped to a soldier.

One of the benefits to the VTESS system will be its open-ended nature, which means eventually other types of trainers, including medical simulators, could be integrated, said Mike Kerrigan, a vice president for business development based in Orlando.

MILES debuted more than 30 years ago and has trained millions of soldiers. The work on VTESS is expected to be complete by March 30, 2014.

“We have made the system a lot smaller and lighter based on input from the field,” Kerrigan said.

The Army’s Orlando-based Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, known as PEO-STRI, secured the contract.

Lockheed Martin employs more than 7,000 people in Central Florida, spread over two main sites in Orlando.

The company became the center of some high-profile news soon after President Donald Trump took office.

The company’s F-35 program, which includes a targeting system engineered in Orlando, was singled out by Trump as having “tremendous cost ... overruns” in a Twitter post.

That led to a high-profile meeting between Trump and CEO Marillyn Hewson in New York on Jan. 13.

Just last month, Hewson credited Trump with helping the company find a path toward savings on the F-35 costs.