Exelis (now part of Harris Corporation)

Exelis (now part of Harris Corporation)
Name	Exelis (now part of Harris Corporation)
Type	Public (former)
Fate	Acquired by Harris Corporation
Predecessor	ITT Corporation (defense and information systems divisions)
Successor	Harris Corporation
Founded	2011
Defunct	2015 (acquisition)
Headquarters	Broomfield, Colorado
Industry	Aerospace, Defense, Electronics
Products	Radar, avionics, electronic warfare, communications, sensors
Num employees	~9,000 (2014)

Exelis (now part of Harris Corporation) was an American aerospace, defense, and information solutions company spun off from ITT Corporation in 2011 and acquired by Harris Corporation in 2015. The firm supplied avionics, electronic warfare systems, radar, geospatial intelligence, and communications equipment to customers such as the United States Department of Defense, allied ministries, and commercial operators. Exelis combined legacy lines from industrial and defense firms to compete with companies like BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon Technologies.

History

Exelis originated as the defense and information systems group of ITT Corporation and was established as an independent publicly traded company following ITT's 2011 split into three entities alongside ITT Inc. and Xylem Inc.. Leadership drew on executives with backgrounds at General Electric, Honeywell International, and Rolls-Royce Holdings subsidiaries. Early strategic moves included expansion into sensor integration and signals intelligence, leveraging contracts tied to campaigns such as operations in Afghanistan and Iraq War support. In 2015 Exelis was acquired by Harris Corporation in a transaction that consolidated capabilities and later formed part of merged entities involving L3 Technologies and United Technologies-adjacent businesses. The acquisition reshaped supplier relationships with organizations including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Defence Agency, and NATO partners.

Products and services

Exelis marketed a portfolio of systems across airborne, land, sea, and space domains. Offerings included airborne radar suites used on platforms from Boeing and Lockheed Martin aircraft, tactical radios compatible with standards embraced by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Joint Tactical Radio System initiatives, electronic warfare pods rivaling products from Thales Group and Saab AB, and signals intelligence payloads analogous to systems fielded by Booz Allen Hamilton contractors. The company delivered geospatial analytics and mapping tools used with imagery from DigitalGlobe satellites and processing chains similar to those in Raytheon Intelligence & Space. Other lines featured precision navigation and timing devices integrated with avionics by Rockwell Collins and sensors used by navies alongside General Dynamics platforms. Exelis also provided sustainment, logistics, and IT services for programs at U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy installations, interfacing with supply chains linked to firms such as Eaton Corporation and L3Harris Technologies partners.

Organizational structure and operations

Exelis organized into business units spanning electronic warfare, mission systems, sensors, and information solutions, each aligned to specific customer segments including defense ministries and commercial carriers. Senior management included executives with prior roles at ITT Corporation, BAE Systems, and Honeywell Aerospace; boards contained members connected to institutions like Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Engineering centers were located in Colorado, Virginia, and New York, collaborating with research partners such as MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University, and Sandia National Laboratories. Manufacturing and test facilities interfaced with subcontractors including Fabrication Enterprises-style suppliers and component vendors common to aerospace supply chains used by Airbus and Bell Textron.

Major contracts and customers

Exelis held contracts with the United States Department of Defense for programs tied to electronic warfare modernization on aircraft fleets, radar upgrades for rotary- and fixed-wing platforms, and ISR payloads for unmanned systems. International customers included ministries of defense in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and several NATO allies procuring radios and link systems interoperable with Link 16 networks and standards promulgated by NATO Communications and Information Agency. The company also supplied systems to prime contractors on programs such as the F-35 Lightning II supply chain, unmanned aerial systems used by General Atomics, and shipboard sensors for programs associated with Huntington Ingalls Industries and BAE Systems Maritime Services.

Mergers and acquisitions

Exelis itself was formed via the divestiture of ITT's defense and information businesses during a corporate restructuring that created separate firms like Xylem Inc. and ITT Inc.. In 2015, Exelis agreed to a definitive merger with Harris Corporation in a transaction that expanded Harris's communications and electronic warfare offerings; the combined entity subsequently participated in further consolidation across the sector including Harris's later merger activities with L3 Technologies to create L3Harris Technologies. The acquisition integrated Exelis lines into Harris portfolios comparable to previous consolidations involving United Technologies Corporation and Raytheon.

Controversies and legal issues

Exelis faced scrutiny typical of defense contractors, including contract performance audits by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and compliance reviews related to export controls under regulations enforced by the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Industry and Security. Legal matters included bid protests filed with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and disputes over contract terms with primes such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. As part of broader industry concerns, the company navigated questions about offsets, end-use monitoring in sales to foreign ministries, and employment issues raised during post-merger workforce realignments similar to those seen in acquisitions by BAE Systems and Raytheon Technologies.

Category:Former defense companies of the United States