L3Harris Technologies

About L3Harris Technologies

L3Harris Technologies is a global aerospace and defense giant, a critical supplier of advanced technology across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains for governments and commercial customers. At its core, the company provides the high-tech eyes, ears, and communication links—from tactical radios and night vision to satellite payloads and missile defense systems—that are crucial for modern security and reconnaissance missions. The company as it exists today is the product of a 2019 "merger of equals," but its story is really the tale of two separate, powerful legacies. The first, Harris Corporation, began way back in 1895 when Alfred S. Harris founded the Harris Automatic Press Company in Ohio to pioneer printing press technology. Over the next century, Harris pivoted dramatically. Through strategic acquisitions like Radiation, Inc., a space-race era electronics firm, it transformed itself from a printing company into a defense and communications powerhouse. The second legacy, L3 Technologies, was a much younger and more aggressive force. It was formed in 1997 by Frank Lanza and Robert LaPenta, in partnership with Lehman Brothers. The "L-3" in the name represented the three founders. Lanza and LaPenta, both former executives at Loral and Lockheed Martin, created the company by acquiring a collection of business units being spun off from Lockheed Martin. L3 grew rapidly, using a relentless acquisition strategy to become one of the top U.S. government contractors. The defining moment came in June 2019, when Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies officially merged to create L3Harris Technologies, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. This combination created the sixth-largest defense contractor in the United States, a firm with immense scale and complementary technologies. Today, L3Harris operates as what it calls a "Trusted Disruptor," aiming to combine the reliability of an established prime contractor with the speed and innovation of a tech startup. Following its 2023 acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne, the company has further solidified its role in missile and space propulsion. Now organized into focused segments like Space & Mission Systems and Missile Solutions, L3Harris continues to invest in next-generation defense and intelligence capabilities, from missile warning systems to resilient satellite communications, positioning itself for the future of warfare and global security.