Exelis Inc.

Exelis Inc. was an American aerospace, defense, information, and services company that operated as an independent public company between 2011 and 2015. It was created through the separation of ITT Corporation's defense business, which was one of three operating businesses separated by ITT in October 2011. The other resulting companies were Xylem Inc., focused on water technology, and a restructured ITT Corporation focused on industrial manufacturing. The spin-off gave Exelis a portfolio serving military, intelligence, homeland-security, civil-government, aerospace, and infrastructure customers. Its activities covered electronic warfare, surveillance, radar and sonar, secure communications, night vision, geospatial sensing, information systems, mission support, logistics, air-traffic-control technologies, and aerospace structures. The company supplied systems and services to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA, while also reporting customers in more than 50 countries. During the transition from its former parent, the business was initially marketed as ITT Exelis through November 2013. It employed approximately 19,000 people and reported $5.5 billion in sales in 2012, according to the cited reference material. Its headquarters were in Tysons Corner, Virginia, while major operations were distributed across locations including Clifton and Rochester, New York; Salt Lake City, Utah; Herndon, Virginia; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Roanoke, Virginia. Exelis organized its operations into six principal business areas. Aerostructures designed and manufactured composite structures and assemblies for commercial, military, and helicopter programs. Electronic Systems developed electronic-warfare, surveillance, radar, sonar, air-traffic-control, antenna, and counter-improvised-explosive-device technologies. Geospatial Systems worked on GPS, remote sensing, surveillance, navigation, encryption, and weather-related instrumentation. Information Systems supplied secure and specialized information systems for defense, intelligence, homeland security, census, aviation, and space missions. Mission Systems provided engineering, facilities, logistics, and security services for military installations. Night Vision and Communications Solutions focused on secure battlefield communications, situational awareness, night vision, and satellite networking. The company also maintained a civic and employee-volunteer initiative known as Exelis Action Corps, which supported service members, veterans, and their families through activities such as employment coaching, home improvement, and educational assistance. Exelis faced pressure from expected reductions in U.S. defense spending. In February 2013, it announced the planned closure of its West Springfield manufacturing plant and the elimination of approximately 200 jobs. In February 2015, Harris Corporation announced an agreement to acquire Exelis in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $4.75 billion. The transaction was completed in June 2015, ending Exelis as an independent publicly traded company and incorporating its capabilities into Harris. Harris later became part of L3Harris Technologies. The Exelis name continued to have some product and business relevance within successor operations, but the standalone corporate entity is defunct.

Exelis originated within ITT Corporation, a conglomerate whose roots extended to the Puerto Rico Telephone Company established by Sosthenes and Hernan Behn. The business adopted the International Telephone and Telegraph name in 1920 and expanded through communications, manufacturing, services, and acquisitions. Under chief executive Harold Geneen, who led ITT from 1959 to 1977, the company pursued an especially aggressive acquisition strategy and became a large multinational conglomerate. Later restructuring under Rand Araskog reduced the conglomerate's scope. In 1995, ITT was divided into ITT Corporation, ITT Sheraton, and The Hartford. Before Exelis was formed, ITT's defense activities operated alongside its industrial process and flow-control and water-technology businesses. On January 12, 2011, ITT's board approved a plan to separate the company into three publicly traded entities. The defense business became Exelis Inc.; the water-technology business became Xylem Inc.; and the remaining ITT Corporation focused on industrial manufacturing. The separation was completed on October 31, 2011. Exelis was headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and initially used the transitional name ITT Exelis through November 1, 2013. Its independent portfolio combined defense electronics, aerospace manufacturing, information technology, geospatial systems, and government services. The company employed approximately 19,000 people and generated reported sales of $5.5 billion in 2012. Its customer base included all major U.S. military services as well as the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA. It also served customers outside the United States across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. The company operated through six major business areas. Aerostructures produced lightweight composite components and assemblies for commercial and military aircraft, including work associated with Boeing, Airbus, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, and other aerospace programs. Electronic Systems supplied electronic-warfare and surveillance products, radar and sonar, air-traffic-control equipment, antennas, and systems intended to counter improvised explosive devices. Geospatial Systems developed GPS, remote-sensing, surveillance, navigation, encryption, and weather-monitoring technologies. Information Systems designed secure systems for defense, intelligence, census, homeland-security, aviation, and space applications. Mission Systems provided engineering, logistics, facilities, and security support for military bases. Night Vision and Communications Solutions supplied secure voice and data communications, night-vision products, battlefield situational-awareness tools, and satellite networking systems. Exelis's independent period coincided with increased scrutiny of defense budgets in the United States. In February 2013, the company announced the closure of its West Springfield manufacturing plant and the loss of approximately 200 jobs, attributing the move to expected reductions in defense spending. The action illustrated the sensitivity of parts of Exelis's business to government procurement cycles. In February 2015, Harris Corporation agreed to acquire Exelis in a cash-and-stock transaction reported at $4.75 billion. The deal was completed in June of that year. Exelis's independent corporate identity and public listing ended, and its businesses became part of Harris's enlarged defense portfolio. Harris subsequently became part of L3Harris Technologies. In 2023, PASSUR Aerospace obtained an exclusive, perpetual license to market and support the L3Harris Symphony for Airports suite, a successor-era airport-operations software portfolio that included airport surface-vehicle tracking, noise-management, and billing tools. This later transaction reflects the continuing commercial life of certain airport-software capabilities associated with the broader Exelis-Harris lineage, but it does not revive Exelis as an independent company.

1. 2023PASSUR licenses Symphony for Airports

   PASSUR Aerospace acquired an exclusive, perpetual license to market and support the L3Harris Symphony for Airports suite and integrate it with PASSUR's ARiVA platform.

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2. 2015Harris agrees to acquire Exelis

   Harris announced an approved cash-and-stock purchase of Exelis valued at a reported $4.75 billion.

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3. 2015Acquisition completed

   Harris completed its acquisition of Exelis in June, ending Exelis's independent corporate existence.

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4. 2013Transitional ITT Exelis branding ends

   The company used the ITT Exelis name during its transition and was known simply as Exelis after November 1, 2013.

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5. 2013West Springfield plant closure announced

   Exelis announced a plant closure and approximately 200 job losses in response to expected U.S. defense-spending reductions.

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6. 2011ITT board approves corporate separation

   ITT approved a plan to separate its defense, water-technology, and industrial-manufacturing activities into three public companies.

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7. 2011Exelis begins independent operations

   On October 31, Exelis was created through the spin-off of ITT Corporation's defense business.

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A diversified defense and aerospace technology supplier combining mission-critical hardware, secure communications, sensing, information systems, aerospace structures, and operational services for government and commercial aerospace customers.

• ALQ-214 Integrated Defensive Electronic CountermeasuresElectronic warfare

  The ALQ-214 IDECM was an electronic-countermeasure system associated with Exelis's Electronic Systems business. It was designed to help protect military aircraft from radar-guided threats by combining sensing, electronic support, and countermeasure functions within an integrated defensive architecture.

• SINCGARSMilitary communications

  SINCGARS, or the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System, is a military radio family used for secure tactical voice and data communications. Within Exelis's communications portfolio, it represented the company's role in supplying battlefield networking and command-and-control equipment for military users.

• GNOMADSatellite communications

  GNOMAD, short for Global Network On the Move–Active Distribution, was a mobile satellite communications system intended to support military data connectivity while users were deployed or moving. It belonged to Exelis's Night Vision and Communications Solutions portfolio.

• AerostructuresAerospace structures

  Exelis Aerostructures designed and manufactured lightweight composite structures, subassemblies, and flight-critical components. Its work included structural elements for Boeing commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380, the Sikorsky S-76, the Lockheed Martin F-35, the Sikorsky CH-53K, the Boeing C-17, and the JASSM program.

• Geospatial and remote-sensing systemsGeospatial technology

  Exelis's Geospatial Systems business developed GPS, surveillance, remote-sensing, navigation, encryption, and weather-monitoring technologies. These capabilities supported defense and government missions requiring location data, environmental observation, secure information, and operational awareness.

• Mission and information systemsGovernment and defense services

  Exelis supplied secure information systems and mission-support services for defense, intelligence, homeland security, census operations, air-traffic control, and space missions. Its Mission Systems organization also provided engineering, logistics, facilities, and security support for U.S. military installations at home and abroad.

• Exelis Action Corps

  United States

  Exelis Action Corps was an employee and volunteer-service program supporting service members, veterans, and their families. Activities included employment-interview coaching, home-improvement projects for disabled veterans, and tutoring for children of deployed service members.

  Outcome. The program provided community-service activities during Exelis's independent operating period; a quantified outcome is not specified in the cited material.

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• 2015Sale of Exelis to Harris CorporationM&A

  Harris pursued Exelis to expand its defense and aerospace capabilities and create a larger U.S. defense contractor.

  What changed. Exelis approved a cash-and-stock acquisition by Harris Corporation, reported at $4.75 billion, which closed in June 2015.

  Aftermath. Exelis ceased to be an independent public company and its businesses were incorporated into Harris, later part of L3Harris Technologies.

  Reported acquisition value. $4.75 billion (2015 transaction)

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• 2013Closure of the West Springfield manufacturing plantOther

  Exelis cited expected reductions in U.S. defense spending as a factor affecting its manufacturing footprint.

  What changed. The company announced that it would close its West Springfield plant and eliminate approximately 200 jobs.

  Aftermath. The decision reduced the company's U.S. manufacturing presence and illustrated the effect of defense-budget pressure on its operations.

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• 2011Spin-off of the ITT defense businessStrategy

  ITT sought to separate its defense, water-technology, and industrial-manufacturing activities into more focused public companies.

  What changed. The defense business was separated on October 31, 2011, creating Exelis Inc. as an independent publicly traded company.

  Aftermath. Exelis operated independently under its own corporate identity and initially used the transitional ITT Exelis branding.

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• 2015Harris announces agreement to acquire Exelis

  Harris Corporation announced an approved cash-and-stock transaction to purchase Exelis for a reported value of $4.75 billion.

  M&A
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• 2015Harris completes Exelis acquisition

  The acquisition was completed in June 2015, ending Exelis's existence as an independent company and combining its defense capabilities with Harris.

  M&A
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• 2013Exelis announces West Springfield plant closure

  Exelis announced that it would close its West Springfield manufacturing plant and eliminate approximately 200 positions, citing anticipated reductions in U.S. defense spending.

  OtherLeadership change
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• 2011ITT approves separation creating Exelis and two other companies

  ITT Corporation approved a plan to separate its defense business, resulting in the creation of Exelis as an independent public company on October 31, 2011.

  M&AOther
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• 2011Exelis receives regional recognition after launch

  The Washington Post identified Exelis among prominent companies in the Washington, D.C. region during the company's first year as an independent business.

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1. Exelis Inc.