PRESS RELEASE - 12-09-04

New Zealand Ministry of Defence Selects L-3 WESCAM’s MX-20 EO/IR Imaging Sensor for Upgrade Of P-3K Orion Fleet

BURLINGTON, CANADA, December 9, 2004 — L-3 Communications WESCAM (L-3 WESCAM), a wholly owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications, announced today that it has been selected to supply the electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging sensors for the New Zealand Air Force’s P-3K maritime patrol aircraft upgrade program — Project Guardian.

The upgrades of six aircraft, operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, will be led by Integrated Systems, another division of L-3 Communications. The system upgrade will include the installation of mission management systems and WESCAM MX-20 multi-sensor EO/IR imaging turrets. Ground-based support and training facilities are also included in the overall upgrade program.

Uniquely suited for long-range Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications over land and sea, the MX-20’s are considered a key element of Project Guardian. With requirements for an advanced, highly reliable and proven EO/IR sensor system, the New Zealand Air Force will rely on the MX-20’s for maritime surveillance of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EZZ) and of the southern Pacific Ocean. Other missions supported by the P-3 Orion platform include resource protection, disaster relief reconnaissance and search & rescue within New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Delivery of the first four MX-20 units will take place throughout the first half of 2005.

“We are proud to have been selected by L-3 Integrated Systems to participate in this important program.

P-3 users in North America, including the U.S. Navy AIP program, U.S. Customs and Canadian CP-140, have all looked to L-3 WESCAM for a highly stabilized sensor system that is ideal for advanced ISR missions,” said Paul Jennison, vice president of government sales and new business. “This contract further strengthens L-3 WESCAM’s position as a supplier of imaging solutions to the defense and P-3 marketplace.”

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 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.

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. 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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