L-3 Communication Systems-East actively Promoting Capabilities, Uncovering Opportunities and Potential Areas of Collaboration with Turkish Defense Companies
Defence Turkey: First of all, thank you for your time. Could you please inform us about the structure and capabilities of L-3 Communication Systems East?
Based in Camden, NJ, L-3 Communication Systems-East (CS-East), a division of L-3 Communications, specializes in the design, development and production of integrated communication systems supporting space, ground, air and maritime operations. We are currently organized into two business areas:
Cyber Defense and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) for secure communications and ruggedized storage & server systems
C4ISR for tactical maritime platforms and land-based command and operations centers. Our focus remains on Integrated and Automated Communications Systems for all domains -- sea, air, space, and land.
L-3 CS-East offers affordable, low-risk, and high-performance systems. Our experience reduces integration risk, equipment footprint and reduced manpower. The benefits include reducing equipment, installation, and operational costs, with improved operator efficiency, increased situational awareness and mission effectiveness.
Our capabilities also include a product line that includes our Tactical Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS), which provides force protection and intelligence gathering, and Signals Intelligence solutions for government agencies.
Defence Turkey: L-3 Communication Systems East was awarded a contract for the Canberra Class LHD Integrated Communications System for the Australian Navy. The L-3 team has successfully completed several significant performance milestones in the program. Could you please enlighten us about the program and L-3’s role?
L-3 CS-East was selected in a competitive bidding process by BAE Systems as the Integrated Communication System (ICS) Supplier with the ability to meet the requirements of the program as specified by the Commonwealth of Australia. The scope for L-3 CS-East was design and delivery of all Interior and Exterior Communication Systems, all networks associated with the ICS, and all interfaces to other major systems such as MASTIS. This integrated system included the MarCom Communication Switching System and Symphony management software, which is trusted on numerous platforms world-wide; exterior systems such as HF, UHF, VHF, satellite communications (SATCOM), Data Links and Global Maritime Distress and Safety system (GMDSS) Systems; and Interior Systems such as Wireless, Broadcast and Alarms, Sound-Powered telephones, Entertainment and Training, closed circuit television (CCTV) and the private automatic branch exchange (PABX). In addition, L-3 CS-East provided all networks, including the Maritime Tactical Wide Area Network (MTWAN), with all Systems meeting or exceeding the demanding requirements of the LHD Program.
The L-3 CS-East team, which includes a strong in-country team that is supported by a large team in the U.S., met and completed all major milestones from system design reviews to CAT 3 requirements (Final Acceptance Test and Verification). L-3 CS-East also provided both land-based and on-ship support to help BAE Systems pass Harbor and Sea Trials with the Royal Australian Navy. Both LHDs (Canberra and Adelaide) have been delivered to the RAN and L-3 CS-East and BAE Systems expect successful completion of the program by the end of 2016.
For large programs like this, L-3 CS-East views itself as a long-term partner rather than a subcontractor and as such, we stay active in the program long after the equipment is delivered. This partnering allows for the shipbuilder to concentrate on other aspects of the ship, as L-3 is trusted to perform as contracted on the Communication Systems.
Defence Turkey: It is well known that, thanks to its secured communication systems, L-3 CS-East is the network security and communication provider of the US Government. Can you elaborate on your capabilities and integrated fields within this respect?
L-3 CS-East provides security architecture, systems and solutions to protect data-in-transit across networks and communication systems and data-at-rest for various processing systems. We are experts in system level accreditation, key and mission management, cryptography and integration of security into systems we design. Our capabilities span many domains to include fixed infrastructure, airborne, ground, surface/subsurface maritime forces and space systems. Our customers comprise both U.S. and international military and intelligence organizations. We’ve also engaged in developing solutions for domestic applications. Whether the mission requires secure voice or data communications, we have the expertise to meet our customers’ needs with the confidence that their information is protected to the highest level of security standards and performance necessary to ensure their success.
Defence Turkey: How do you assess the technological competence of your integrated and automated C4 products “Marcom” and “Symphony”?
Our MarCom Integrated Communications and Symphony Resource Manager work in conjunction with one another to enable efficient and secure information sharing. While mission performance is enhanced, significant reductions in required staffing and training result in major operational cost savings. Both MarCom and Symphony are mature products that benefit from ongoing investment and sustainment programs, which continually evolve and expand these integration products while keeping them technically refreshed and producible. The strength of both product families results from two specific factors:
a) They were designed to serve customers in tactical environments;
b) They were designed to be modular, scalable and adaptable based on the customer’s applications.
These solutions offer great advantages in the areas of security and performance over commercial products. They also drive affordability, due to a reduction in the expertise required to operate and maintain them, combined with the ability to fit all customer needs.
Defence Turkey: It is clear that L-3 Communication Systems East has made several achievements, more than 150 programs in 5 countries as well as the home market in the US. Would you enlighten us about your local and global programs?
L-3 CS-East has a rich heritage in providing turnkey mission system solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. We have earned over 100 Top Secret and Below (TSAB) certifications and produced over 800,000 TSAB end cryptographic units over the past 65 years. Our multiple security domain networks and integrated systems have been accredited and deployed on a multitude of strategic and tactical platforms. This expertise in information assurance enables us to design security into your system architecture from program inception.
Today, L-3 CS-East is among the world’s leading integrators of C4ISR systems for customers around the globe. Our systems support submarine and surface platforms, ship and shore installations, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, and international customers. Some of our platform integration experience includes:
U.S. Navy
Aegis Cruisers and Destroyers
Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers
LPD 17-Class Amphibious Ships
Littoral Combat Ship #2 and #4
Ship-to-Shore Connector
Ohio-Class Submarines
Los Angeles-Class Submarines
Virginia-Class Submarines
Ohio Replacement-Class Submarines
U.S. Coast Guard
Legend-Class National Security Cutters
Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters
Offshore Patrol Craft
Communication Stations
Command Centers
Royal Australian Navy
Canberra-Class Amphibious Ships
Fleet Tanker
Special Forces ADRHIB
Egyptian Navy
Egypt’s Fast Missile Craft (Ambassador Class)
Royal Malaysian Navy
Kasturi-Class Corvettes
Royal New Zealand Navy
ANZAC-Class Frigates
Royal Canadian Navy
Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships
Defence Turkey: What are your activities in Turkey? What do you see as your opportunities with the Turkish government and Turkish companies?
L-3 CS-East is looking to grow its business base and the international market provides us with a path to expand our influence on those areas where we have expertise. We have been meeting with various defense companies in Turkey to promote our capabilities and to uncover opportunities and areas where we can collaborate. The Turkish defense industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and has key influence in the Middle East and Asian regions. We have also met with five of the largest military shipyards in the Istanbul area. With two decades of leadership in the maritime communications industry, L-3 CS-East can provide Turkish shipyards with a cost-efficient and capable solution for their C4ISR, which will allow them to aggressively compete for projects in Turkey and internationally. We believe that a Turkish built ship combined with a U.S. C4ISR solution is a great model.
With the accelerated schedule for the building and delivery of the Turkish LHD Anadolu, L-3 CS-East’s experience on the Royal Australian Navy’s Canberra Class could be useful in a collaborative partnership, which would facilitate the sharing of our knowledge and experience with the shipbuilder SEDEF and two of the contractors, Aselsan and Havelsan in order to reduce risk, cost, and ensure the new timeline is met. As a former naval officer, I can tell you that we are focused on providing the best capability to the Anadolu, as it will be a key platform, for not only the Turkish Navy but also for NATO. We owe that to the Sailors that will crew the ship but also to the pilots that will be operating from the Anadolu. At the end of the day, it is about maximizing the operational effectiveness of the ship.
Finally, when you look at our international portfolio, it is focused on providing C4ISR and integrated communications on maritime platforms. As the Turkish Coast Guard continues to grow and modernize, L-3 CS-East has a proven track record with the US Coast Guard that would assist in ensuring operational success for the Turkish Coast Guard. As the missions they are tasked with continue to grow and become more challenging, our experience in providing similar capabilities to the U.S. Coast Guard would provide a cost-effective solution to meet these increased demands. I don’t have to tell you that they have a tough job in the Mediterranean Sea today and we all want to make sure that they have the most capable platforms available.
Defence Turkey: As you are aware, Turkish companies have a significant presence in some markets . Do you have any intention of collaborating with Turkish companies in other markets?
Turkish companies are some of the most respected exporters of defense articles in the world and we would be honored to work with them in the international market. The relationships that Turkish companies have developed in the Middle East, Caspian Region and Asia are indicative of the respect that the international community has for the defense industrial base of Turkey. L-3 CS-East admires the customer-focused view of many Turkish companies. Clearly, it demonstrates they believe in the long-term commitment to ensuring that their products are maintained and that the customer is getting the best capability at the best value for their platforms. If you look at the international market for Offshore Patrol Vessels, patrol boats, and corvettes, it is an area in which we at L-3 CS-East are interested in expanding our influence. With Turkey being one of the top shipbuilding countries in the world, we want to collaborate on projects to assist them in winning projects globally but also to grow L-3 CS-East as a global company. After reaching a peak in 2008, the Turkish shipbuilding business contracted but has been recovering since 2012 and we believe will continue to grow. The shipbuilding industry is important to the Turkish economy and we want to provide that extra support on international projects that will be a discriminator to assist Turkish shipyards capture international business.
Defence Turkey: Finally, would you like to add a message to our readers?
L-3 CS-East sees Turkey as a key NATO partner and a major contributor to the alliance, while viewing their defense industry as a key partner to facilitate our company’s growth around the globe. Turkey is a country that can bring East and West together and we would like to see if their shipyards and defense industry can bring L-3 CS-East to the Middle East, Asia, the Caspian Region and Africa. We have key partners in the U.S. that we are working with to grow internationally and we see the Turkish defense industry as a perfect complement to them. We are fortunate to have good partners and hope that the Turkish defense industry views us the same way.
