BURLINGTON, CANADA, December 4, 2006 – L-3 Communications WESCAM (L-3 WESCAM), a wholly owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications, announced today that it has received an order from the National Armed Forces (NAF) of the Republic of Latvia to provide four MX-15i electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) systems for installation on their Mil Mi-17 (or Mi-8MTV1) helicopters.  Delivery of the first unit will take place in December 2006, and one unit per year is scheduled thereafter.

The imaging capability of the MX-15i will enhance the Latvian Air Forces’ (LAF) ability to “see first and act first.”  While their primary mission requirements are Search and Rescue (SAR) and Medevac air lift, the LAF will also use the MX-15i to perform large-scale crisis response and emergency rescue operations and to participate in international peace-keeping operations.

Qualified to military standards, the MX-15i’s advanced stabilization and impressive sensor technology will provide LAF with long-range subject detection and identification capability and true 24/7 EO imaging. Even in the most extreme weather conditions, superior imaging capability will be achievable by using the MX-15i’s Dual Channel Day and Night Spotter.

The MX-15i’s evolutionary features have created an installed system weight reduction of 25 percent. This significant reduction was achieved by miniaturizing the off-board electronics and incorporating them in the turret. As a result, initial installation complexity has been reduced, cabin and storage space is expanded and LAF’s mission endurance will be increased.

Each LAF system will include an Improved Digital IR camera that boasts a 20 percent increase in IR range, allowing night-time missions or those taking place in poor weather conditions to result in a higher SAR success rate.  The units will also contain WESCAM’s MX-GEO Gen. 3 package.  This combination of new technologies, including Automated Video/GEO-Tracking and Adaptive-GEO, will aid in delivering maximum geographic location accuracy and significantly reduce operator fatigue in demanding and stressful SAR operations.

“This order pairs a very capable SAR helicopter with the most advanced EO/IR sensor to provide the vital capability required for this life-saving mission,” said John Dehne, president of L-3 WESCAM. “WESCAM is proud to be selected to provide the MX-15i on the Mi-17 and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with the Latvian Air Force.”
L-3 WESCAM is a world leader in the design and manufacture of stabilized, multi-spectral airborne imaging systems.  To learn more about L-3 WESCAM, please visit the company’s web site at www.wescam.com.

Headquartered in New York City, L-3 Communications is a leading provider of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, secure communications systems, aircraft modernization, training and government services.  The company is a leading merchant supplier of a broad array of high technology products, including guidance and navigation, sensors, scanners, fuzes, data links, propulsion systems, simulators, avionics, electro optics, satellite communications, electrical power equipment, encryption, signal intelligence, antennas and microwave components.  L-3 also supports a variety of Homeland Security initiatives with products and services.  Its customers include the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, selected U.S. Government intelligence agencies and aerospace prime contractors.

To learn more about L-3 Communications, please visit the company's web site at www.L-3Com.com.

MX® is a registered trademark of Wescam Inc.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release are forward-looking statements.  Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to events or conditions or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements.  The forward-looking statements set forth above involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any such statement, including the risks and uncertainties discussed in the company’s Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-looking Statements included in the company’s recent filings, including Forms 10-K and 10-Q, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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