L-3 Communications Holdings has announced plans to open a design, engineering and support facility in Canada.

The entity will be in Ottawa, Ontario, under the new organization, L-3 Communication Systems Canada, and will include a communications system laboratory.

The laboratory will provide an integration test bed and demonstration environment for future maritime communications architectures for the Royal Canadian Navy.

"This state-of-the-art engineering center will be an important contributor to the Ottawa technological community, leading our efforts to best support our Canadian communications and systems integration operations," said John Mega, president of L-3's Communication Systems business segment.

"Ontario's highly skilled workforce is a rich source of talent that enables L-3 to build upon our extensive national support base. The creation of this engineering center reaffirms our long-standing partnership with the Canadian government and local industry and our commitment to broaden access to L-3's products and services."

L-3 Communications, headquartered in New York, has a growing business base in Canada, where it is implementing communications solutions for the government's Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship and Project Resolve Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment programs, among others.

L-3 said the Ottawa facility will complement the recently created L-3 Canada Marine Systems business.

No projected opening date for the facility was given.

L-3 receives $302 million C-12 contract
Washington (UPI) May 26, 2016 - L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace has been awarded a $302.2 million firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery requirements U.S. Navy contract for logistics services in support of the C-12 Huron utility lift aircraft.

The contract includes post-production, full commercial-type aircraft maintenance, logistics support and materials for the Marine Corps Reserve C-12 and Navy TC-12B trainer aircraft.

Work will be performed in Texas, Maryland, Bahrain, Cuba, Japan, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia and California, with an estimated completion date of July 2021.

The contract was competitively bid and five offers were received.

The C-12 is a multi-mission aircraft that provides personnel and cargo transportation, range clearance, medical evacuation, courier flights and humanitarian rescue or assistance. It is the military version of the King Air 200 made by Hawker Beechcraft Corporation.