M²CAS PREPARES FOR FIRST FLIGHT

-- New Sense & Avoid Capability for UAVs Continues to Progress --

Contact:
Steve Henden
Manager, Communications
ACSS, an L-3 Communications & Thales Company
623-445-7021
steve.henden@L-3com.com

PHOENIX, July 17, 2006 – ACSS, an L-3 Communications & Thales Company, announced today that M²CAS (multi-mode collision avoidance system), a new development product for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is set for flight test by September. M²CAS is a joint development of ACSS, Defense Research Associates (DRA) and the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).

“We’re extremely excited about the opportunity to develop ‘sense and avoid’ capability for the U.S. Air Force,” said ACSS President Kris Ganase. “Working with DRA and the AFRL has proven to be a tremendous partnership.”

M²CAS combines commercial traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) technology, one of ACSS’s core capabilities, with DRA’s optical sensor system designed to optically acquire and alert pilots to traffic within the system’s field of view. The upcoming flight tests will demonstrate M²CAS’s ability to detect both cooperative (aircraft equipped with a transponder) and non-cooperative (aircraft without a transponder) traffic. In addition, the flight tests will demonstrate the ability to accurately correlate cooperative traffic detected by both functions of M²CAS.

M²CAS provides unique symbology for non-cooperative traffic, cooperative traffic not yet detected by the optical sensor and correlated traffic (traffic detected by both functions).

To learn more about DRA, go to www.dra-inc.net.

Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), an L-3 Communications & Thales Company, is a leader in safety avionics systems that increase safety, situational awareness and efficiency for aircraft operators. Based in Phoenix, its products include the TCAS 3000 and TCAS 2000 traffic alert and collision avoidance systems; MASS™, an enhanced TCAS for military operations; a family of Mode S transponders; the T²CAS®, a combined traffic and terrain collision avoidance system; TAWS+, a stand-alone terrain awareness warning system; and the Dlink+ communications management unit. The ACSS portfolio also includes a suite of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast solutions for pilots operating in the airport vicinity called SafeRoute™. More than 45,000 units of ACSS product are operating in commercial, corporate and military aircraft. To learn more about ACSS, please visit the company's web site at www.acssonboard.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.