Published: June 04, 2007 12:30 pm         

L-3 awarded $21.7M contract from Britain

Greenville-based L-3 Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) was selected in April to receive a contract worth more than £11.5 million ($21.7 million) from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Upon Main Gate approval, expected in June 2009, L-3 IS will be the preferred contractor to execute the Project HELIX Demonstration and Manufacture contract, which has a projected value of up to £400 million ($756 million), over a 7-year period, with first aircraft delivery scheduled in early 2013.

L-3 IS was selected as the preferred bidder to carry out risk reduction studies for the HELIX Assessment Phase Stage 3, in partnership with the UK MoD. Project HELIX is a major mission system upgrade to the capabilities of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Nimrod R1 electronic reconnaissance aircraft fleet.

L-3, the lead systems integrator and prime contractor, heads a team that includes QinetiQ, LogicaCMG and BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies. QinetiQ will provide electronic reconnaissance technologies and LogicaCMG will contribute ground systems, information management and security services and technologies. BAE Systems will provide aircraft modification, aircraft certification, long-term support and logistics services and some sensor technologies.

“HELIX is a major international award for L-3 and represents our first large program in the United Kingdom,” said Michael T. Strianese, President and Chief Executive Officer of L-3 Communications. “We hope to use this contract as a building block for future partnerships with the Ministry of Defence, as well as with our contract team members.”

“We have a proud history of cooperation and success with the Royal Air Force in airborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities,” said Bob Drewes, Corporate Senior Vice President, and President and Chief Operating Officer of the L-3 Integrated Systems Group. “Our team has a great opportunity to advance that relationship and develop a long-term partnership with the MoD that provides the British military with vital capabilities in our combined defense efforts.”

The modification work on the aircraft will be performed at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, with final integration and flight testing conducted in Greenville, Texas.

The Nimrod R1 provides electronic reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering support to military commanders and is viewed as a critical component of the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) force mix.