L-3 Communications is a publicly traded American company that specializes in communications, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and command and control. It supplies products that include avionics, ocean products, navigation and instrumentation products, training devices, as well as an array of different services. L-3 Communications, headquartered in New York, took its name from its original founders, Frank Lanza, Robert LaPenta, and the Lehman Brothers. When Lockheed Corporation merged with Martin Marietta in 1996, it sold ten units, which formed L-3. Today, it is considered to be one of the top ten US government contractors, and its customers include the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, US government intelligence agencies, as well as other commercial aviation and aerospace contractors, and telecommunications and wireless customers.
L-3 Communications is a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange that brings in $15.680 billion in annual revenue, $956 million in net income, and reports $15.497 billion in total assets (as of 2011). L-3 employs over 61,000 employees and the current chairman and CEO is Michael T. Strianese. Although it was founded relatively recently, in 1997, it is already listed on both the NYSE and the S&P 500. The company is divided into four business segments: Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C3ISR), Government Services, Aircraft Modernization and Maintenance (AM&M), and Specialized Products. Its C3ISR division provides support services that include flight simulation manufacturing, ISR systems, and secure communications. Its government services division provides aviation, maritime, and human intelligence, as well as IT and training services. Its AM&M division provides aircraft modernization and support services as well as operations. Lastly, its specialized products division offers avionics, displays, and specialty products, marine and power systems, microwave, RF, SATCOM and antenna products, security, detection, sensors, and navigation and simulation products.
L-3's most popular products are the L-3 Provisions, L-3 examiners SX, 3DX, XLB, L-3 OptEX, and the AVCATT. The L-3 Provisions is a millimeter wave airport passenger screening system that is used in airports around the country along with its airport baggage screening system, the L-3 examiners series. L-3 OptEX is a trace level explosive detection system and the AVCATT is a mobile aviation training simulator.
This year, L-3 Communication was awarded a $38.5 million contract to supply SATCOM terminals to the Australian defense forces, which will enable them to expand their satellite communications capability. L-3 has also announced that its Link Simulation & Training division won a contract for the Predator mission aircrew training from the US Air Force and will receive funding for 6 years. In addition, as of August 2013, L-3 has been selected to provide in-service support for the Canadian government's CC-150 aircraft fleet.
