Post-Merger, L3Harris Technologies Still Flying High in Waco

by Christina Flores, Public Relations Representative, L3Harris

This year, L3Harris Technologies celebrates the one-year anniversary of its newly-merged company, serving domestic and international customers with the combined strengths of the legacy L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation.

L3Harris provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Fla., and has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue with 48,000 employees and customers in more than 100 countries.

L3Harris’ local aircraft modification center has undergone many name changes throughout the years, serving as divisions of Electrospace Systems, Inc.; Chrysler Technologies Airborne Systems; Raytheon; L-3 Communications; and L3 Technologies.

Despite the name changes, it remains a steady business anchor on the Texas State Technical College (TSTC) airport, where employees have modified and delivered more than 95 types of aircraft variants for military, commercial and international customers in its 35 years of operations in Waco, Texas.

L3Harris in Waco went through a realignment in September 2018. Jon Piatt, Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Aerospace Systems, was a foundational member of the current leadership team in Waco.

“My introduction to the Waco community began when I transitioned into the site lead role for our local operation,” said Piatt. “I moved here in 2019 and immediately began developing relationships throughout the community.”

“When I would introduce myself, I would find a welcome reception, typically followed by many questions about our facility,” Piatt said.

The questions led Piatt to a realization that the company needed increased focus on being an active part of community and building awareness about the incredible work performed by its employees. Piatt aims to increase that awareness both with potential customers, as well as through impactful community service in the Greater Waco community.

For many customers, the combination of high-quality engineering and flight science capabilities, coupled with a highly-skilled artisan team, makes the L3Harris facility in Waco the preferred provider of aircraft solutions for operators seeking a cost-effective option to upgrade their mission capabilities without having to purchase brand new aircraft.

Occasionally, L3Harris is approached by a customer with impossibly big dreams seeking a partner to help them bring those dreams into reality. The company continues to excel in these challenges, such as the intensive modification of widebody aircraft into flying test beds for new aircraft engines, or the creation of a flying observatory for NASA that has a garage-sized door on the aircraft fuselage that opens in-flight – revealing an infrared telescope designed to peer into space.

More recently, the company delivered a wide body aircraft to a customer modified for use as an airborne launch pad for its small satellite launch service. L3Harris performed extensive flight science and aerospace engineering, as well as physical modifications, on the 747 aircraft to accommodate a rocket that launches from an altitude of approximately 35,000 feet.

The division’s agility and diversity has enabled it to adapt to the ever-evolving aerospace industry. L3Harris has modified hundreds of aircraft in Waco over the years, and the facility’s more than one million square feet of buildings and hangar space allows it to support aircraft ranging from the widebody 747-8, the oversized C-5, and the UH-60 helicopter.

The facility includes direct flight line ramp access, an onsite fabrication capability, an aircraft interior cabinet shop, and a worldclass paint facility capable of painting almost any sized aircraft. The team of more than 750 employees includes approximately 250 engineers and 375 production personnel with average tenure of 16 years.

The diversity of workforce and experience allows the team to respond to complex engineering requirements, as well as cost-effective maintenance solutions. It is a one-stop shop, providing “M3” (Missionization, Modernization, and Maintenance, repair and overhaul) capability for aircraft of all types, sizes and missions, with industry-leading capability to provide complex aircraft conversions; maritime, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), command and control, and airborne systems missionization; depot fleet maintenance and modification; and highly customized design, integration and certification of mission subsystems and interiors.

L3Harris supported a wide portfolio of customers and aircraft in 2019, and is positioned for growth in 2020.

“Our team delivered more than a dozen aircraft either on time or early in 2019 and inducted 11 more last year, and is on track to add another 15 aircraft in the second half of 2020,” Piatt said. “This surge of aircraft is the result of years of ground work laid by our business pursuit and program teams to fill our hangars with steady and meaningful work.”

The up tempo is led by last year’s win of the marquee U.S. Air Force

C-130H Avionics Modernization Program Increment 2 (AMP INC 2). The $499 million, 10-year contract calls for L3Harris to design, produce and certify a state-of-the art modernization solution for a fleet of 176 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130H aircraft.

The upgrade provides a lowcost solution for improving aircraft availability, addressing obsolescence issues, and providing cross domain interoperability for the C-130H. The company is prepared to welcome the first AMP INC 2 aircraft in July, and is laying the foundation for receiving the fleet of aircraft over the next nine years. The program leverages the experience from previous avionics upgrade programs, including a Foreign Military Sales modification for an international customer. The capture of AMP INC 2 provides an opportunity for additional Air Force C-130 work, and will serve as a proving ground for the pursuit of similar avionics upgrade programs for international C-130 fleets.

“We are striving to secure our position as a global C-130 center of excellence,” Piatt said.

Innovating Through a Pandemic

As with other businesses, L3Harris is adapting to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

L3Harris’ products and services support national security, and the company was deemed an essential business by the Department of Defense. This means that as operations continue through the pandemic, it remains laser-focused on keeping its employees safe and supporting community efforts to combat virus spread as it helps its customers sustain their critical services.

The corporation has implemented rigorous safety procedures across all of its locations, including workfrom-home initiatives; instituting stringent hygiene protocols; redesigning workspaces to ensure social distancing; staggering work shifts where critical work is underway; and adding temperature and health screenings. L3Harris has also activated a relief fund for employees who may have experienced an unexpected financial burden and expanded its back-up childcare service, employee assistance program, paid time off policy, and other services.

The pandemic has also inspired innovation that is making an impact beyond the local facility. L3Harris Engineer Walt Ford working on i3 Breather project. L3Harris had multiple local volunteer projects planned for 2020 that were either delayed or canceled due to COVID-19. However, the employees’ desire for outreach is unwavering, and they searched for alternate ways to give back.

A team led by L3Harris engineers designed a low-cost, ventilation support system in April to help patients combatting COVID-19. The team delivered the Innovative Inspiratory Ideas (i3) Breather prototype in three weeks in response to the Department of Defense’s Hack-A-Vent Innovation Challenge to rapidly develop solutions for ventilator availability and critical care requirements around the world. Innovative Inspiratory Ideas (i3) Breather prototype in three weeks in response to the Department of Defense's Hack-A-Vent Innovation Challenge to rapidly develop solutions for ventilator availability and critical care requirements around the world.

The “impossible challenge” requirements included a variety of respiratory, volume, pressure and humidity targets, and the solution needed the ability to be assembled and operated by personnel using easily producible and widely available commercial off-the-shelf parts.

The team developed the i3 Breather design after a five-day agile sprint design process modified for social distancing and remote participation. It was one of five designs initially selected for next phase testing out of 172 submissions received from across the nation. Following the selection, the team worked around-the-clock to deliver the prototype.

The i3 Breather is now under review for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The EUA review process allows the FDA to help strengthen public health protections against wide-ranging national threats by facilitating the availability and use during public health emergencies.

“This project brought together support from across the nation, and is a testament to those who step up and try to solve hard problems regardless of the impossibility of the challenge,” Piatt said. “We had design support from a student and faculty from Baylor University, testing and calibration support from McLennan Community College, 3D printing and design support from members of Maker’s Edge Makerspace, and six physicians from Texas and California to help us understand respiratory and medical values.”

“Additionally, we received letters of support from numerous city, state, economic and industrial organizations extending offers of support to help solve this urgent problem.”

Employees also activated to construct cloth masks in early April when the Centers for Disease Control recommended the use of simple cloth face coverings as a voluntary public health measure to slow the spread of COVID-19.

L3Harris manufacturing team employees are extremely proud of members set up a mask-building the positive impact they are making operation in its upholstery shop and as we navigate through the daily trained to build a simple mask design. challenges to serve our colleagues The production line began creating and customers,” Piatt said. masks for its local teammates, but demand quickly grew across the corporation as mask shipments were delayed and other L3Harris facilities learned about the operation.

The Waco team began receiving surplus legacy L3 and Harris T-shirts to recycle into masks, and was soon constructing up to 1,000 masks a day. The project successfully delivered approximately 51,000 masks for L3Harris employees and customers at more than 50 facilities around the world.

“I am so moved and inspired by what our team has done to lean into our One Shared Mission and help make a difference in this fight against COVID-19. Our Cloth masks made from recycling surplus L3 and Harris T-shirts.

Conducting SociallyDistant Business

At the start of the pandemic, L3Harris enabled approximately 50 percent of its employees across the corporation who were able to work from home to do so, which includes approximately one third of Wacobased employees. The company upgraded its network systems to support the increased work-fromhome demand and added new tools for virtual collaboration. The increased information technology support has allowed employees to remain productive while in a work-from-home status.

“We have learned a lot about the resilience of our people during the pandemic,” Piatt said. “We haven’t seen a noticeable drop in productivity levels associated with our remote workers, which is allowing us to remain effective while reducing the number of employees onsite to support distancing.”

With domestic and international trade shows cancelled and visits restricted, the aerospace and defense industry is also embracing technology to drive its business and share its message to potential customers. L3Harris employees are developing a virtual tour experience to support what would traditionally be a customer visit and tour of the facility, and increasing participation in virtual experiences and meetings. While COVID-19 has many negative impacts, it has also pushed the Waco facility to develop alternate ways to reach its customers.

This new virtual environment offers both benefits and challenges. The technology and capability allows customers to experience a collaborative engagement while sitting hundreds of miles from facility, mitigating scheduling challenges since a virtual experience is a shorter time commitment than several days of traveling for an in-person visit. However, a virtual experience does not replicate the full value of the face-toface interaction provided in a personal meeting with key customers, vendors and colleagues.

Helping Aviation Take Flight in Greater Waco

L3Harris has also increased its participation in the Waco Chamber through the Chamber’s Greater Waco Aviation Alliance. The company is dedicated to supporting the elevation of the local aviation industry through awareness, and through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to position McLennan County as an aviation center of excellence. It is also a recurring participant in the alliance’s shared booth at national trade shows. The booth brings together the area’s aviation-related businesses to present a unified industry presence while allowing smaller companies to participate in these larger shows.

Three L3Harris Waco employees were foundational in forming a local chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI), a non-profit organization working in conjunction with the Chamber to promote women in aviation and aerospace, build a base of professional aviation in the community, and offer educational programs to local schools and colleges.

“Our WAI Central Texas Chapter is organized by a group of volunteers elected to represent a cross section of the aviation industry, including general, corporate, commercial and military aviation segments in our community,” said RoseMary Rafuse, president of WAI’s Central Texas chapter. “The chapter is open to women and men and will help advance women in these segments of aviation and aerospace, and to provide educational resources and opportunities in our community.”

L3Harris also supports the Aviation Alliance’s annual Freedom Ball, which honors current and former military personnel while funding scholarships to outstanding local college students pursuing a degree in an aviation, aerospace or related engineering program. The alliance has awarded between $18,000 and $20,000 in scholarships annually for more than 10 years.

This year, L3Harris Waco announced a $2,500 continuing education scholarship at the event, presented in memory of Coast Guard Petty Officer Danny Kreder II. Danny, the son of a local L3Harris employee, and his crew were lost in service in 2009 in an aircraft mishap while performing a search and rescue mission. The Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Karl Schultz, wrote a personal letter to the Waco Aviation Alliance recognizing the sacrifice of Danny and his family.

Renewed Focus on the Community

The company is also renewing its focus on educational and community volunteer activities to support the Greater Waco community.

L3Harris and Baylor continue to maintain strong collaboration on aviation-related research and development. Current projects include research and development of an In-Flight Wireless Multimedia Delivery System, and development of a composite Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) process. The NDT technology allows for inspection of aircraft composite structures using a noninterference method. The project has continued over many years and has multiple near-term opportunities, including commercial applications.

The local team’s holiday gift drive has endured for more than 20 years. The program allows employees to provide gifts and needed items for clients across multiple local non-

profit organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Waco Center for Youth, and the Heart of Texas Mental Health Mental Retardation Center.

L3Harris launched a worldwide program called L3Harris Investing For Tomorrow, or LIFT for short. LIFT encourages employees to make a difference in their community through voluntary service with a focus on STEM education, meeting the needs of military members and first responders, and being active citizens in their communities.

In 2019, employees hosted volunteer events with Caritas and Habitat for Humanity, and coordinated a Heroes and Harleys benefit event with Harley Davidson of Waco to provide critical support and resources to the veteran community through the Veterans One Stop.

Piatt also recently lent his voice and time for a discussion on innovation and the i3 Breather on the Spark 101 podcast, an effort to drive conversations around STEM learning for teachers, students and anyone interested in STEM careers. “Although some LIFT activities have been paused during the COVID pandemic, our team is energized and seeking creative ways to give back to our community through partnerships and fundraising,” Piatt said.

Prepared for the Future

L3Harris in Waco has a long history of supporting key U.S. Air Force and Navy customers, with focus on supporting specialized fleets that perform critical ISR and communication missions. It expects to continue its providing modification and maintenance of those assets in the coming years.

The company continues to perform on current contracts, such as the U.S. Coast Guard program to install a mission management system on a C-130J, and the recently-awarded U.S. Navy task order to provide planned maintenance services and in-service repairs on U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J/T aircraft. Services for the program include de-paint and paint, inspection, repairs, operational checks and Functional Check Flights for improved aircraft readiness.

Recently, numerous agencies have made large investments in replacing older aircraft platforms to address ever growing obsolescence problems associated with aged aircraft. Examples include the P-8 aircraft replacing the P-3 aircraft, and the C-130J aircraft replacing the C-130H. Additionally, some specialized fleets are replacing aircraft with smaller platforms. Aircraft replacements require missionization of the new, “green” aircraft to host the mission capability to the newer platform, a process known as cross-decking. L3Harris anticipates supporting multiple cross-decking initiatives in the future.

L3Harris is also focused on delivering mission systems for space. The airborne launcher project was one of many programs the company expects to support as demand grows for space-related launch services.

Overall, the company expects to see increased demand for complex solutions that connect mission systems across all domains – space, air, ground and maritime – to combat evolving technological threats. The local facility is wellprepared to play its part to help deliver end-to-end solutions to meet its customers’ mission-critical needs.

“We’ve managed to navigate pandemic-related challenges while maintaining aircraft production schedules with the high level of performance and quality our customers have come to expect,” Piatt said. “Our workforce embraces challenges and is inspired to deliver quality products supporting our national defense and commercial customers. I am personally excited for the future of our team built on the perseverance, initiative and culture of commitment at Waco.”