L-3 Communications, the sixth largest defense company in the United States, announced Monday its third contract from the U.S. Air Force for the delivery of high-precision sensors and targeting systems.

The company said the new contract was worth $200 million but with indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity terms.

The Air Force earlier bought sensors and targeting systems from the company for another $200 million and some of the high-definition equipment has gone into Project Liberty Program, which is active in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

The contract goes to L-3 subsidiary WESCAM and will be used by the Air Force to purchase the latest generation of L-3's MXTM-15Di targeting systems. The systems are equipped with high-definition sensors, and MXTM-20D targeting systems, also with HD sensors.

John Dehne, president of L-3 WESCAM, said the company was pleased to provide the imaging and targeting solutions needed to support the Air Force's "growing mission portfolio."

Over an 18-month period, three ID/IQ contracts have gone to WESCAM, enabling the Air Force to purchase a total of $400 million of products and services. The MX-15Di systems procured under the latest contract will be used on the Project Liberty program, which L-3 also supports as the prime contractor and systems integrator.

The Air Force has been seeking increasingly efficient high-definition targeting systems to meet with the needs of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and the latest contract responds to that need, analysts said.

Dehne said the modular design and versatility of the company's product line has enabled the Air Force to outfit both legacy and new platforms with the industry's most powerful electro-optical and infrared and laser sensors.

To date, the Air Force has purchased six models of MX turrets under these contracts. Each turret model features high-reliability, long-range performance, precision target location accuracy and ease-of-use on a variety of platforms.

The equipment provides stable full-motion EO/IR video in support of U.S coalition forces and troop operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

L-3 Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael T. Strianese said the

"has grown very quickly into the sixth largest defense company in the United States" and is a leader and prime defense contractor in those fields.

L-3 says it has also secured leadership in homeland security products in aviation, port, maritime and cargo security as well as solutions for mass transportation.

Like many other companies, the security issues arising from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, have allowed L-3 to grow in other homeland security products and services for crisis management, intrusion detection, law enforcement and vehicles for first responders.

L-3 Communications has headquarters in New York City and is rated as a growing company. It employs 67,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor in command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, aircraft modernization and maintenance and government services. L-3 sales in 2009 totaled $15.6 billion.