Press Release
For Release: IMMEDIATE

Media Contact:
Gayle Manculich
Phone: (412) 967-7477
Email: gayle.manculich@l-3com.com

L-3 communications brashear delivers beam director turret assembly for the advanced tactical laser program

 PITTSBURGH, PA, June 30, 2005 - L-3 Communications Brashear (L-3 Brashear), a division of L-3 Communications, announced today that it has delivered its Beam Director Turret Assembly (BDTA) to The Boeing Company as part of the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) program.  The ATL will enable the U.S. military to use laser energy from an aircraft to inflict a wide range of ultra-precise effects on specific target vulnerable points with little or no collateral damage.

 The ATL is an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD), a program that promotes the rapid development and field demonstration of promising military technologies.  A military utility assessment is then performed to evaluate the value and effectiveness of the new technology.  Flight test of the ATL begins in 2006.

 As the first stage of this initiative, L-3 Brashear was awarded the contract to design, build and test the BDTA for the ATL program.  The BDTA will be mounted underneath a U.S. Air Force C-130 test aircraft containing the high-energy laser weapon and associated support equipment.  The BDTA receives the beam from the laser and directs and focuses it with extreme precision to the target, maintaining it precisely on the target aimpoint.  The ATL will provide the military with a highly accurate battlefield pinpoint anti-materiel strike capability, reducing injury to anyone near the target.  Boeing, as the lead system integrator, will integrate the BDTA with the rest of the optical control system at Boeing-SVS in Albuquerque, NM, prior to integration with the laser on the C-130. 

 "Brashear is extremely proud for its contributions in the development of this state-of-the-art weapon system," said Fernando Faria, president of L-3 Brashear.

 Recognized for world-class optics technology, L-3 Brashear designs and produces complex electro-optical and electro-mechanical systems and instrumentation for the commercial and defense markets.  The company operates in six product areas:  Telescope Systems, Optical Components, Stabilized Tracking Systems, Test Range Instrumentation, Small Arms Fire Control Systems and Laser Beam Directors.  Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Brashear employs more than 170 scientists, engineers, opticians and support staff.

 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 and is a merchant supplier of a broad array of high technology products.  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.

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