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      <ShortDefinition>Includes a description of all new employee stock-based compensation plans approved during the current fiscal year and the...</ShortDefinition>
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       At its Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on April&amp;#160;28,
       2009, the stockholders of L-3 Holdings approved the L-3
       Communications Corporation 2009 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
       (2009 ESPP), which became effective on July&amp;#160;1, 2009. As a
       result, no new options to purchase shares of L-3 Holdings&amp;#8217;
       common stock will be granted under the Company&amp;#8217;s prior
       employee stock purchase plan (2001 ESPP).
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       Under the 2009 ESPP, eligible employees are offered options to
       purchase shares of L-3 Holdings&amp;#8217; common stock at 85% of the
       fair market value of L-3 Holdings&amp;#8217; common stock on the last
       day of each six-month offering period. Eligible employees
       include all employees of the Company, or of a subsidiary or
       affiliate of the Company that has been designated to participate
       in the 2009 ESPP. Offering periods begin on the first trading
       day in January and July of each calendar year and end on the
       last trading day in June and December of each calendar year.
       Fair market value is defined as the average of the highest and
       lowest sales price of a share of L-3 Holdings&amp;#8217; common stock
       on the last trading day of the trading period. Share purchases
       are funded through payroll deductions of up to 10% of a
       participating employee&amp;#8217;s compensation for each payroll
       period, or $21,250 each calendar year. Employees may not
       purchase more than $25,000 worth of L-3 Holdings&amp;#8217; common
       stock for each year based on the value of the common stock at
       the beginning of each offering period during the year. After
       adjustment for the shares issued under the 2001 ESPP, the 2009
       ESPP authorizes L-3 Holdings to issue up to 7.4&amp;#160;million
       shares. No shares will be issued under the 2009 ESPP until the
       conclusion of the first six-month offering period, which began
       on July&amp;#160;1, 2009 and ends on December&amp;#160;31, 2009.
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