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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 17, 2018

Registration No. 333-      

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Cubic Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

9333 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, California 92123
(858) 277-6780
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)

Bradley H. Feldmann
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Cubic Corporation
9333 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, California 92123
(858) 277-6780
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Matthew T. Bush
Latham & Watkins LLP
12670 High Bluff Drive
San Diego, California 92130
(858) 523-5400

APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC:
From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

           If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.    o

           If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.    ý

           If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

           If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

           If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.    ý

           If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.    o

           Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

           If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. o

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

(1)

Omitted pursuant to Form S-3 General Instruction II.E.

(2)

An unspecified number of the securities of each identified class of securities is being registered for possible issuance from time to time at indeterminate prices. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities or that are represented by depositary shares.

(3)

Includes rights to acquire common stock or preferred stock under any stockholder rights plan then in effect, if applicable under the terms of any such plan.

(4)

In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act, the registrant is deferring payment of the entire registration fee.

   

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PROSPECTUS

Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Units
Rights

        We may offer and sell the securities identified above, and any selling securityholders may offer and sell shares of common stock identified above, in each case from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by any selling securityholders.

        Each time we or any of the selling securityholders offer and sell securities, we or such selling securityholders will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and, if applicable, the selling securityholders, as well as the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with the documents we incorporate by reference, before you invest in any of our securities.

        We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. In addition, any selling securityholders may offer and sell shares of our common stock from time to time, together or separately. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled "About this Prospectus" and "Plan of Distribution" for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

        Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUB. On August 16, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $74.05 per share.

        INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE "RISK FACTORS" ON PAGE 3 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is August 17, 2018

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

        Whenever we refer to "Cubic," "we," "our" or "us" in this prospectus, we mean Cubic Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. When we refer to "you" or "yours," we mean the potential holders of the applicable series of securities.

        This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) as a "well-known seasoned issuer" as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) using a "shelf" registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings and the selling securityholders to be named in a supplement to this prospectus may, from time to time, sell shares of common stock from time to time in one or more offerings as described in the prospectus. Each time that we or the selling securityholders offer and sell securities, we or the selling securityholders will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectuses), together with the additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference."

        Neither we, nor the selling securityholders, have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the selling securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the selling securityholders will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

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CUBIC

        Cubic Corporation is a market-leading, technology provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. We design, integrate and operate systems, products and services to serve the needs of various federal and regional government agencies in the U.S. and allied nations around the world.

        We operate in three reportable business segments: Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), Cubic Global Defense Systems (CGD Systems), and Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS). All of our business segments share a common mission of increasing situational awareness to create enhanced value for our customers worldwide through common technologies. Our defense customers benefit from increased readiness and effectiveness, while our transportation customers benefit from enhanced efficiency and reduced congestion. We organize our business segments based on the nature of the products and services offered.

        CTS is a systems integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions. We deliver integrated systems for transportation and traffic management, delivering tools for travelers to choose the smartest and easiest way to travel and pay for their journeys, and enabling transportation authorities and agencies to manage demand across the entire transportation network—all in real time. We offer fare collection and revenue management devices, software, systems and multiagency, multimodal integration technologies, as well as a full suite of operational services that help agencies and operators efficiently collect fares and revenue, manage operations, reduce revenue leakage and make transportation more convenient. Through our NextBus and Intelligent Transport Management Solutions businesses, respectively, we also deliver real-time passenger information systems for tracking and predicting vehicle arrival times and we are a leading provider of urban and inter-urban intelligent transportation and enforcement solutions and technology and infrastructure maintenance services to U.K. and other international city, regional and national road and transportation agencies. Through our Urban Insights business we use big data and predictive analytics technology and a consulting model to help the transportation industry improve operations, reduce costs and better serve travelers.

        CGD Systems is a diversified supplier of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, other U.S. government agencies and allied nations. We offer a full range of training solutions for military and security forces. Our customized systems and services accelerate combat readiness in the air, on the ground and at sea while meeting the demands of evolving operations globally. Our range design business offers complete range design solutions for military, law enforcement, special forces and security training centers, including laser-engagement training simulation systems, live-fire range design, exercise planning, expert support and detailed After Action Reviews.

        CMS provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. CMS' core competencies include communications and electronics solutions such as high-speed data links, search-and-rescue avionics and customized signal intelligence products, deployable and tactical communications products, wideband ultra-portable expeditionary satellite communication terminal solutions, secure video delivery, real time processing, exploitation and dissemination of full motion video in the cloud, deployable secure computing tactical cloud and networking solutions equipment, and communication gateways.

        We were incorporated in the State of California in 1949 and began operations in 1951. In 1984, we moved our corporate domicile to the State of Delaware. Our principal executive offices are located at 9333 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, California 92123, and our telephone number is (858) 277-6780.

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RISK FACTORS

        Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities. Please also refer to the section below entitled "Forward-Looking Statements."

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to the safe harbor created by such Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, future events or our future financial and/or operating performance are not historical and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "continuing," "ongoing," "expect," "believe," "intend," "predict," "potential," "opportunity" and similar words or phrases or the negatives of these words or phrases. These forward-looking statements involve risks, estimates, assumptions and uncertainties, including those discussed in "Part I—Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2017, our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these statements. Such risks, estimates, assumptions and uncertainties include, among others: our ability to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of new processes and procedures we have implemented to remediate the material weaknesses that previously existed in our internal control over financial reporting; our dependence on U.S. and foreign government contracts; delays in approving U.S. and foreign government budgets and cuts in U.S. and foreign government defense expenditures; the ability of certain government agencies to unilaterally terminate or modify our contracts with them; the effect of sequestration on our contracts; our assumptions covering behavior by public transit authorities; our ability to successfully integrate new companies into our business and to properly assess the effects of such integration on our financial condition; the U.S. government's increased emphasis on awarding contracts to small businesses, and our ability to retain existing contracts or win new contracts under competitive bidding processes; negative audits by the U.S. government; the effects of politics and economic conditions on negotiations and business dealings in the various countries in which we do business or intend to do business; competition and technology changes in the defense and transportation industries; the change in the way transit agencies pay for transit systems; our ability to accurately estimate the time and resources necessary to satisfy obligations under our contracts; the effect of adverse regulatory changes on our ability to sell products and services; risks associated with the sale of our CGD Services business and any adverse effect such sale has on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects; our ability to identify, attract and retain qualified employees; our failure to properly implement our enterprise resource planning system; unforeseen problems with the implementation and maintenance of our information systems; business disruptions due to cyber security threats, physical threats, terrorist acts, acts of nature and public health crises; our involvement in litigation, including litigation related to patents, proprietary rights and employee misconduct; our reliance on subcontractors and on a limited number of third parties to manufacture and supply our products; our ability to comply with our development contracts and to successfully

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develop, introduce and sell new products, systems and services in current and future markets; defects in, or a lack of adequate coverage by insurance or indemnity for, our products and systems; changes in U.S. and foreign tax laws, exchange rates or our economic assumptions regarding our pension plans; and other factors discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

        All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in this section or elsewhere in this prospectus. Because the risks, estimates, assumptions and uncertainties referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. In addition, past financial and/or operating performance is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future performance and you should not use our historical performance to anticipate results or future period trends. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

        The following table sets forth the historical ratios of earnings to fixed charges for Cubic and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods indicated.

        "For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings include income or loss from continuing operations before income taxes, adjusted for: losses from equity method investees, fixed charges to the extent they affect current year earnings, amortization of capitalized interest, interest capitalized during the year, and net income or loss attributable to our noncontrolling interests. Fixed charges include interest expensed and capitalized, and estimates of interest within rental expense."

        For the periods indicated above, we had no outstanding shares of preferred stock with required dividend payments. Therefore, the ratios of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends are identical to the ratios presented in the table above.

USE OF PROCEEDS

        We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common stock being offered by any of the selling securityholders.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

        This prospectus describes the general terms of our capital stock. The following description is not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our capital stock. For a more detailed description of these securities, you should read the applicable provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which have been publicly filed with the SEC. When we offer to sell a particular series of these securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. Accordingly, for a description of the terms of any series of securities, you must refer to both the prospectus supplement relating to that series and the description of the securities described in this prospectus. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

        Under our certificate of incorporation, the total number of shares of all classes of stock that we have authority to issue is 55,000,000, consisting of 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value, and 50,000,000 shares of common stock, no par value.

Common Stock

        As of August 16, 2018, there were 27,255,436 shares of our common stock outstanding.

Voting rights

        Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the shareholders. The holders of common stock are not entitled to cumulative voting rights with respect to the election of directors, which means that the holders of a majority of the shares voted can elect all of the directors then standing for election.

Dividend rights

        Subject to limitations under Delaware law and preferences that may apply to any outstanding shares of preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends or other distributions, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors (Board) out of funds legally available therefor.

Liquidation rights

        In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities, subject to the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock.

Rights and preferences

        The common stock has no preemptive, conversion or other rights to subscribe for additional securities. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Fully paid and nonassessable

        The outstanding shares of our common stock are, and the shares offered by this prospectus, when issued, will be, fully paid and nonassessable.

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Preferred Stock

        We currently have no outstanding shares of preferred stock. Under our certificate of incorporation, our Board is authorized to issue shares of our preferred stock from time to time, in one or more classes or series, without stockholder approval. Prior to the issuance of shares of each series, our Board is required by the Delaware General Corporation Law and our certificate of incorporation to adopt resolutions and file a certificate of designation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The certificate of designation fixes for each class or series the designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions, including the following:

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the number of shares constituting each class or series;



•

voting rights;



•

rights and terms of redemption, including sinking fund provisions;



•

dividend rights and rates;



•

dissolution;



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terms concerning the distribution of assets;



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conversion or exchange terms;



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redemption prices; and



•

liquidation preferences.

        All shares of preferred stock offered by this prospectus will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable and will not have any preemptive or similar rights. Our Board could authorize the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction that might involve a premium price for holders of the shares or that holders might believe to be in their best interests.

        We will describe in a prospectus supplement relating to the class or series of preferred stock being offered the following terms:

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the title and stated value of the preferred stock;



•

the number of shares of the preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the preferred stock;



•

the dividend rate(s), period(s) or payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation applicable to the preferred stock;



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whether dividends are cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends on the preferred stock will accumulate;



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the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any, for the preferred stock;



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the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock;



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the provision for redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock;



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any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange;



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the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into common stock, including the conversion price or manner of calculation and conversion period;



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voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock;



•

whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares;

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a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;



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the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;



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any limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the class or series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; and



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any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of the preferred stock.

        Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the preferred stock will rank, relating to dividends and upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up:

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senior to all classes or series of our common stock and to all of our equity securities ranking junior to the preferred stock;



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on a parity with all of our equity securities the terms of which specifically provide that the equity securities rank on a parity with the preferred stock; and



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junior to all of our equity securities the terms of which specifically provide that the equity securities rank senior to the preferred stock.

        The term equity securities does not include convertible debt securities.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

Delaware takeover statute

        We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This statute regulating corporate takeovers prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

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prior to the date of the transaction, the Board approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;



•

the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or



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on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66²/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

        Section 203 defines a business combination to include:

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any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;



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any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation;



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subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

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any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or



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the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

        In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as an entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person.

Certificate of incorporation and bylaw provisions

        Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or discourage a third party from attempting to acquire, control of our company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise. These provisions may also make the removal of incumbent officers and directors more difficult. These provisions are intended to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control to first negotiate with us. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of our common stock. These provisions may make it more difficult for shareholders to take specific corporate actions and could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of Cubic.

        In particular, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide for the following:

Approval of business combinations

        Our certificate of incorporation provides that the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of our outstanding common stock is required for the approval, adoption or authorization of a business combination and that no business combination may be entered into without that affirmative vote.

        As used in our certificate of incorporation, a business combination means:

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our merger into, or our consolidation with, any other corporation, person or business entity;



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the merger of any other corporation, person or business entity into, or its consolidation with us;



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the sale, exchange, lease transfer, or other disposition by us of 60% or more of our assets or business to any other corporation, person or business entity;



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the issuance or transfer at any one time by us, or by any subsidiary, of 50% or more of voting securities issued pursuant to a stock option, purchase, bonus performance unit or other plan or agreement for natural persons who are directors, employees, consultants, and/or agents of us and/or a subsidiary to any other corporation, person or business entity in exchange for cash, assets, or securities or any combination thereof; or



•

any agreement, contract or other arrangement between us and any other corporation, person or business entity providing for any of the transactions described above.

        These provisions do not apply to any transaction described above (a) if our Board has approved a memorandum of understanding with such other corporation, person or business entity with respect to and substantially consistent with such transaction prior to the time such other corporation, person or business entity became an owner of 5% of the our outstanding common stock or (b) to any corporation, person or business entity which is an owner of 5% of our outstanding common stock of this corporation at the time of adoption of this provision in our certificate of incorporation.

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        The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of our outstanding common stock is required for the amendment of all or any part of this provision.

No written consent of shareholders

        Any action by our shareholders must be taken at an annual or special meeting of shareholders and may not be taken by written consent. The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of the total voting power of all outstanding shares of our voting stock is required for the amendment of this provision.

Special meetings of shareholders

        Special meetings of our shareholders may be called only by our Board or by a committee of our Board that has been duly designated to do so by our Board. The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of the total voting power of all outstanding shares of our voting stock is required for the amendment of this provision.

Amendment of bylaws

        The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of the total voting power of all outstanding shares of our voting stock is required for shareholders to amend our bylaws. This provision makes it more difficult to circumvent the anti-takeover provisions of our bylaws. Our Board is authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind our bylaws, but at least a 66²/3% vote of the directors is required to change the number of directors.

Number of directors; removal; filling vacancies

        Our certificate of incorporation:

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provides that the number of directors may be fixed exclusively by resolutions adopted by at least 66²/3% of the authorized number of directors constituting our Board. The current board resolution provides that our Board will consist of eight members; and



•

authorizes our Board to fill newly created directorships. This provision could prevent a shareholder from obtaining majority representation on our Board because our Board could enlarge the size of the board and fill the vacancies. A director holds office for the remainder of the full term of the director for which any vacancy was created or occurred until that director's successor is elected and qualified.

Issuance of undesignated preferred stock

        Our Board is authorized to issue, without further action by the shareholders, up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by the Board. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock enables our Board to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of Cubic by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise.

Listing

        Our common stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CUB."

Transfer Agent and Registrar

        The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock at the time of filing is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company. The transfer agent and registrar's address is 6201 15^th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219. After August 24, 2018, the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock will be Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., whose address is 1717 Arch Street, Suite 1300, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

        The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

        We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

        The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee named in the prospectus supplement. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

        As used in this section only, "Cubic," "we," "our" or "us" refer to Cubic Corporation excluding our subsidiaries, unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

General

        The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our Board and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our Board, in an officer's certificate or by a supplemental indenture (Section 2.2). The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

        We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount (Section 2.1). We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

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the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);



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the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;



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any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;



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the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;



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the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;



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the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for

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registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

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the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;



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any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;



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the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;



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the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;



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whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;



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the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;



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the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be U.S. Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;



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the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;



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if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;



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the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;



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any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;



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any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities, and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;



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any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;



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any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;



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the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;

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any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and



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whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees (Section 2.2).

        We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

        Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (the Depositary) or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a "book-entry debt security"), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a "certificated debt security") as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading "Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System" below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

        Certificated Debt Securities.    You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture (Section 2.4). No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange (Section 2.7).

        You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

        Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System.    Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see "Global Securities."

Covenants

        We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities (Article IV).

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

        Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have

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a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

        We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a "successor person") unless:

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we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than Cubic) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and



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immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.

        Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us (Section 5.1).

Events of Default

        "Event of Default" means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

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default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);



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default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;



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default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or Cubic and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;



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certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Cubic; and



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any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement (Section 6.1).

        No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities (Section 6.1). The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

        We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof (Section 6.1).

        If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms

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of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture (Section 6.2). We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

        The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power (Section 7.1(e)). Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series (Section 6.12).

        No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

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that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and



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the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days (Section 6.7).

        Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment (Section 6.8).

        The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture (Section 4.3). If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities (Section 7.5).

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Modification and Waiver

        We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

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to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;



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to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading "Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets";



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to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;



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to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;



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to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;



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to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;



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to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;



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to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;



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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;



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to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or



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to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act (Section 9.1).

        We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

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reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;



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reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;



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reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;



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reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;



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waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);



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make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;



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make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on

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those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

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waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security (Section 9.3).

        Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture (Section 9.2). The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration (Section 6.13).

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

        Legal Defeasance.    The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of, the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

        This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable U.S. federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred (Section 8.3).

        Defeasance of Certain Covenants.    The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

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we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading "Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets" and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and



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any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (a covenant defeasance).

The conditions include:

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depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of

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interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

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delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred (Section 8.4).

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Shareholders

        None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or shareholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

        The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York (Section 10.10).

        The indenture will provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the indenture, the debt securities or the transactions contemplated thereby.

        The indenture will provide that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon the indenture or the transactions contemplated thereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York, and we, the trustee and the holder of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. The indenture will further provide that service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party's address set forth in the indenture will be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The indenture will further provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the courts specified above and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum (Section 10.10).

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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

        We may, at our option, elect to offer depositary shares rather than full shares of preferred stock. Each depositary share will represent ownership of and entitlement to all rights and preferences of a fraction of a share of preferred stock of a specified series (including dividend, voting, redemption and liquidation rights). The applicable fraction will be specified in a prospectus supplement. The shares of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares will be deposited with a depositary named in the applicable prospectus supplement, under a deposit agreement among us, the depositary and the holders of the certificates evidencing depositary shares, or depositary receipts. Depositary receipts will be delivered to those persons purchasing depositary shares in the offering. The depositary will be the transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for the depositary shares. Holders of depositary receipts agree to be bound by the deposit agreement, which requires holders to take certain actions such as filing proof of residence and paying certain charges.

        The summary of the terms of the depositary shares contained in this prospectus does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the provisions of the deposit agreement and our certificate of incorporation and the certificate of designation that are, or will be, filed with the SEC for the applicable series of preferred stock.

Dividends

        The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions received in respect of the series of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares to the record holders of depositary receipts in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date, which will be the same date as the record date fixed by us for the applicable series of preferred stock. The depositary, however, will distribute only such amount as can be distributed without attributing to any depositary share a fraction of one cent, and any balance not so distributed will be added to and treated as part of the next sum received by the depositary for distribution to record holders of depositary receipts then outstanding.

        In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary receipts entitled thereto, in proportion, as nearly as may be practicable, to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date, unless the depositary determines (after consultation with us) that it is not feasible to make such distribution, in which case the depositary may (with our approval) adopt any other method for such distribution as it deems equitable and appropriate, including the sale of such property (at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem equitable and appropriate) and distribution of the net proceeds from such sale to such holders.

Liquidation Preference

        In the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of Cubic, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of each depositary share will be entitled to the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of the applicable series of preferred stock as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Redemption

        If the series of preferred stock represented by the applicable series of depositary shares is redeemable, such depositary shares will be redeemed from the proceeds received by the depositary resulting from the redemption, in whole or in part, of the preferred stock held by the depositary. Whenever we redeem any preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing the shares of preferred stock so redeemed. The depositary will mail the notice of redemption promptly upon receipt of such notice

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from us and not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption of the preferred stock and the depositary shares to the record holders of the depositary receipts.

Voting

        Promptly upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the series of preferred stock represented by the applicable series of depositary shares are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in such notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts as of the record date for such meeting. Each such record holder of depositary receipts will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares of preferred stock represented by such record holder's depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote such preferred stock represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will agree to take all action which may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will abstain from voting any of the preferred stock to the extent that it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary receipts.

Withdrawal of Preferred Stock

        Upon surrender of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary and payment of any unpaid amount due the depositary, and subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, the owner of the depositary shares evidenced thereby is entitled to delivery of the number of whole shares of preferred stock and all money and other property, if any, represented by such depositary shares. Partial shares of preferred stock will not be issued. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to such holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing such excess number of depositary shares. Holders of preferred stock thus withdrawn will not thereafter be entitled to deposit such shares under the deposit agreement or to receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares therefor.

Amendment and Termination of Deposit Agreement

        The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. However, any amendment which materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders (other than any change in fees) of depositary shares will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. No such amendment may impair the right, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, of any owner of any depositary shares to surrender the depositary receipt evidencing such depositary shares with instructions to the depositary to deliver to the holder of the preferred stock and all money and other property, if any, represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.

        The deposit agreement will be permitted to be terminated by us upon not less than 30 days prior written notice to the applicable depositary if a majority of each series of preferred stock affected by such termination consents to such termination, whereupon such depositary will be required to deliver or make available to each holder of depositary receipts, upon surrender of the depositary receipts held by such holder, such number of whole or fractional shares of preferred stock as are represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipts together with any other property held by such depositary with respect to such depositary receipts. In addition, the deposit agreement will automatically terminate if (a) all outstanding depositary shares thereunder shall have been redeemed, (b) there shall have been a final distribution in respect of the related preferred stock in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of Cubic and such distribution shall have been distributed to the holders of depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares representing such

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preferred stock or (c) each share of the related preferred stock shall have been converted into stock of Cubic not so represented by depositary shares.

Charges of Depositary

        We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and initial issuance of the depositary shares, and redemption of the preferred stock and all withdrawals of preferred stock by owners of depositary shares. Holders of depositary receipts will pay transfer, income and other taxes and governmental charges and certain other charges as are provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts. In certain circumstances, the depositary may refuse to transfer depositary shares, may withhold dividends and distributions and sell the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipt if such charges are not paid. The applicable prospectus supplement will include information with respect to fees and charges, if any, in connection with the deposit or substitution of the underlying securities, the receipt and distribution of dividends, the sale or exercise of rights, the withdrawal of the underlying security, and the transferring, splitting or grouping of receipts. The applicable prospectus supplement will also include information with respect to the right to collect the fees and charges, if any, against dividends received and deposited securities.

Miscellaneous

        The depositary will forward to the holders of depositary receipts all notices, reports and proxy soliciting material from us which are delivered to the depositary and which we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock. In addition, the depositary will make available for inspection by holders of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, and at such other places as it may from time to time deem advisable, any notices, reports and proxy soliciting material received from us which are received by the depositary as the holder of preferred stock. The applicable prospectus supplement will include information about the rights, if any, of holders of receipts to inspect the transfer books of the depositary and the list of holders of receipts.

        Neither the depositary nor Cubic assumes any obligation or will be subject to any liability under the deposit agreement to holders of depositary receipts other than for its negligence or willful misconduct. Neither the depositary nor Cubic will be liable if it is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its obligations under the deposit agreement. The obligations of Cubic and the depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of their duties thereunder, and they will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. Cubic and the depositary may rely on written advice of counsel or accountants, on information provided by holders of the depositary receipts or other persons believed in good faith to be competent to give such information and on documents believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

        In the event the depositary shall receive conflicting claims, requests or instructions from any holders of depositary receipts, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand, the depositary shall be entitled to act on such claims, requests or instructions received from us.

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

        The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may at any time remove the depositary, any such resignation or removal to take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. Such successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice for resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $150,000,000.

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

        We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or preferred stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

        The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

•

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;



•

the designation, stated value and terms (including, without limitation, liquidation, dividend, conversion and voting rights) of the series of preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of warrants to purchase preferred stock;



•

the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;



•

the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities, preferred stock or common stock will be separately transferable;



•

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;



•

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;



•

U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and



•

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled to:

•

vote, consent or receive dividends;



•

receive notice as shareholders with respect to any meeting of shareholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or



•

exercise any rights as shareholders of Cubic.

        Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

        A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office

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of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock or preferred stock, if any.

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

        We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

        The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

        If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

•

the title of the series of units;



•

identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units;



•

the price or prices at which the units will be issued;



•

the date, if any, on and after which the constituent securities comprising the units will be separately transferable;



•

a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and



•

any other terms of the units and their constituent securities.

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DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS

General

        We may issue rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock, warrants or units. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as rights agent. The rights agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the certificates relating to the rights of the series of certificates and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of rights certificates or beneficial owners of rights. The statements made in this section relating to the rights are summaries only. These summaries are not complete. When we issue rights, we will provide the specific terms of the rights and the applicable rights agreement in a prospectus supplement. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. For more detail, we refer you to the applicable rights agreement itself, which we will file as an exhibit to, or incorporate by reference in, the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

        If we offer any series of rights, certain terms of that series of rights will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following:

•

the date of determining the shareholders entitled to the rights distribution;



•

the title and aggregate number of shares of common stock, preferred stock, warrants or units purchasable upon exercise of the rights;



•

the exercise price;



•

the aggregate number of rights issued;



•

the date, if any, on and after which the rights will be separately transferable;



•

the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence and the date on which the right will expire;



•

a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in the rights; and



•

any other terms of the rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the distribution, exchange and exercise of the rights.

Exercise of Rights

        Each right will entitle the holder of rights to purchase for cash the principal amount of shares of common stock, preferred stock, warrants or units at the exercise price provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, all unexercised rights will be void.

        Holders may exercise rights as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, warrants or units purchasable upon exercise of the rights. If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to persons other than shareholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby underwriting arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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GLOBAL SECURITIES

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

        Unless we indicate differently in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary (DTC), and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

        DTC has advised us that it is:

•

a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;



•

a "banking organization" within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;



•

a member of the Federal Reserve System;



•

a "clearing corporation" within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and



•

a "clearing agency" registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

        DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants' accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. "Direct participants" in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC). DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

        Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC's records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants' records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.

        To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC's partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC's records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited,

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which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

        So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.

        Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.

        Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC's practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.

        Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.

        So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below and unless if otherwise provided in the description of the applicable securities herein or in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.

        Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC's practice is to credit direct participants' accounts upon DTC's receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in "street name." Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

        Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.

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        The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.

        DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

        As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:

•

DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC's ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be;



•

we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or



•

an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities,

we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.

Euroclear and Clearstream

        If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, you may hold interests in a global security through Clearstream Banking S.A., which we refer to as "Clearstream," or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, which we refer to as "Euroclear," either directly if you are a participant in Clearstream or Euroclear or indirectly through organizations which are participants in Clearstream or Euroclear. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their respective participants through customers' securities accounts in the names of Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers' securities accounts in such depositaries' names on DTC's books.

        Clearstream and Euroclear are securities clearance systems in Europe. Clearstream and Euroclear hold securities for their respective participating organizations and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between those participants through electronic book-entry changes in their accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.

        Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global securities owned through Euroclear or Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those systems. Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on one hand, and other participants in DTC, on the other hand, are also subject to DTC's rules and procedures.

        Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers and other transactions involving any beneficial interests in global securities held through those systems only on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business in the United States.

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        Cross-market transfers between participants in DTC, on the one hand, and participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with the DTC's rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by their respective U.S. depositaries; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the global securities through DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement. Participants in Euroclear or Clearstream may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. depositaries.

        Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream purchasing an interest in a global security from a direct participant in DTC will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant participant in Euroclear or Clearstream, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global security by or through a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream to a direct participant in DTC will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC's settlement date.

Other

        The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC, Clearstream, Euroclear and their respective book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information. This information has been provided solely as a matter of convenience. The rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear are solely within the control of those organizations and could change at any time. Neither we nor the trustee nor any agent of ours or of the trustee has any control over those entities and none of us takes any responsibility for their activities. You are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants directly to discuss those matters. In addition, although we expect that DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear will perform the foregoing procedures, none of them is under any obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither we nor any agent of ours will have any responsibility for the performance or nonperformance by DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants of these or any other rules or procedures governing their respective operations.

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SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS

        Information about selling securityholders, where applicable, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in a post-effective amendment or in filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        We or any of the selling securityholders may sell the offered securities from time to time:

•

through underwriters or dealers;



•

through agents;



•

directly to one or more purchasers; or



•

through a combination of any of these methods of sale.

        We will identify the specific plan of distribution, including any underwriters, dealers, agents or direct purchasers and their compensation in the applicable prospectus supplement.

LEGAL MATTERS

        Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, California, will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Cubic. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us, the selling securityholders or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements of Cubic Corporation appearing in Cubic Corporation's Current Report (Form 8-K) dated August 17, 2018 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

        We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

        Our website address is www.cubic.com. The information on or accessed through our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.

        This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to

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the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC's website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

        The SEC's rules allow us to "incorporate by reference" information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.

        This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, filed with the SEC on November 20, 2017, with the exception of PART II, Items 6, 7, 7A, and 8, and PART IV, Item 15 as these Items were superseded by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 17, 2018;



•

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended December 31, 2017, March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2018 filed with the SEC on February 6, 2018, May 2, 2018 and August 8, 2018, respectively;



•

our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on January 19, 2018;



•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 2, 2017, February 20, 2018, April 19, 2018, June 1, 2018 and August 17, 2018; and



•

the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on August 29, 2008, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

        All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

        You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Cubic Corporation
Attention: Secretary
9333 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, California 92123
(858) 277-6780

        Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14.    Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

        The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by the registrant) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby:

Item 15.    Indemnification of Directors and Officers

        As permitted by Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, we have adopted provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws that limit or eliminate the personal liability of our directors for a breach of their fiduciary duty as a director. Specifically, our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of a director's fiduciary duty as director, except to the extent provided by applicable law:

•

for breach of the director's duty of loyalty to us or our shareholders;



•

for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;



•

any act related to unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions or payment of dividends; or



•

for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

These limitations of liability do not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission.

        As permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our bylaws provide that:

•

we may indemnify our directors, officers, employees and agents to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to limited exceptions;



•

we may advance expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding as authorized by our Board; and



•

the rights provided in the bylaws are not exclusive.

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        Any underwriting agreement or distribution agreement that the registrant enters into with any underwriters or agents involved in the offering or sale of any securities registered hereby may require such underwriters or dealers to indemnify the registrant, some or all of its directors and officers and its controlling persons, if any, for specified liabilities, which may include liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Item 16.    Exhibits

        A list of exhibits filed with this registration statement on Form S-3 is set forth on the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the signature page below and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 17.    Undertakings

        (a)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

        (1)   To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

          (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

         (ii)  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement; and

        (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.

        (2)   That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (3)   To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

        (4)   That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

          (i)  each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

         (ii)  each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made

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pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

        (5)   That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

        The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

          (i)  Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

         (ii)  Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

        (iii)  The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

        (iv)  Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

        (b)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (h)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the

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question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

        (e)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (the "Act") in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under Section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

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SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on August 17, 2018.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

        KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Bradley H. Feldmann and James R. Edwards, and each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to file and sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments and any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective under Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act, to this registration statement, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. This power of attorney shall be governed by and construed with the laws of the State of Delaware and applicable federal securities laws.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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