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By Oliver Trapnell
Associate News Editor
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L3Harris Technologies has come under scrutiny after federal officials linked the company's work on a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) communications network to the 4-hour nationwide ground stop which disrupted thousands of flights.
The company, which is one of the largest defense and communications contractors in the U.S., was conducting a switch of copper wire to fiber-optic cable when a router involved in the upgrade began generating connection requests that overwhelmed parts of the FAA network, according to federal officials.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said investigators are still attempting to understand the cause of the incident. At time of writing, officials have stressed the investigation remains ongoing and that no final determination has been made about the exact cause of the failure.
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In a statement Saturday, L3Harris said: "We are supporting the FAA in its investigation to understand the conditions that led to the November 13 ground stop of our nation’s air travel. L3Harris takes the nationwide ground stop and its impact on travelers, airlines and air traffic operations seriously."
Newsweek has approached L3Harris for comment via email.
What Is L3Harris?
L3Harris Technologies is a Florida-based aerospace, defense and communications company that provides equipment, technology and services to government agencies and military customers around the world.
Formed in 2019 through the merger of Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies, the company employs approximately 45,000 people and generates tens of billions of dollars through contracts in military communications, intelligence systems, surveillance technology, space programs and aviation infrastructure.
Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, L3Harris is best known for manufacturing tactical radios, sensors, satellite systems and defense electronics, the company also plays a major role in maintaining communications networks used by federal agencies.
It has worked previously with the Pentagon, NASA, intelligence agencies and a range of civilian government departments.
Longtime CEO Christopher Kubasik stepped down in August and was succeeded by Sam Mehta.
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Why It Matters
The fault in the FAA's communications network triggered what officials said was the largest nationwide ground stop since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Estimates suggest tens of thousands of flights in the U.S. alone were delayed or canceled with the ground stop then also extending to schedules around the world.
In a press briefing Saturday, Duffy said the router generated more than 1,000 connection attempts every several seconds, overwhelming routers elsewhere in the FAA system.
"What we're working to determine was whether we had incompetence, meaning was it user error, installer error from L3Harris, or did they install a faulty router," Duffy told reporters.
Federal officials have said there is no evidence suggesting the incident was caused by a cyberattack or malicious interference.
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What Does L3Harris Do For The FAA?
L3Harris has been responsible for key portions of the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, commonly known as FTI, for more than two decades. The network supports approximately 45,000 daily flights and links more than 4,400 FAA facilities.
The network has undergone a yearslong transition away from legacy copper wiring toward fiber-optic infrastructure, a modernization effort designed to improve reliability and capacity while replacing aging equipment.
On July 1, 2026, L3Harris Technologies received a contract award to modernize and continue operating the FAA's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) network through 2045.
Kathy Crandall, President of Mission Networks, Space & Mission Systems at L3Harris, said at the time: "L3Harris is propelling the FAA’s modernization vision forward by delivering an advanced surveillance infrastructure that will define the future of our airspace system and ensure increased safety for all air travelers. By expanding network capacity, we’re ensuring the United States remains the global leader in air traffic management."
To date, the Florida-based company has completed more than 70 percent of the upgrade from legacy copper wires to a fiber optic system.
L3Harris has not accepted responsibility for the disruption and has emphasized that investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened.
The company’s website claims to have "deep knowledge of the U.S. national airspace" which "allows us to upgrade systems without disrupting air traffic operations."
It also claims to "maintain 99.99971% network reliability by working during maintenance windows, deploying parallel systems and coordinating closely with FAA technical operations staff." Newsweek has contacted L3Harris for comment on whether this statistic has changed in light of the ground stop.
Beyond the FAA, L3Harris is one of the largest defense contractors in the country and regularly competes for government contracts against firms such as Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.
It has worked to produce battlefield communications equipment, intelligence systems, missile-defense technologies, electronic warfare capabilities and space-based sensors.
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Aging Infrastructure
The controversy arrives amid increasing concern about the age and condition of systems supporting the U.S. air traffic control network.
Officials have repeatedly warned that portions of the aviation infrastructure rely on decades-old technology that has become more difficult and expensive to maintain.
In the press conference on Saturday, Duffy renewed funding calls to modernize air traffic control systems, warning a similar incident could repeat itself unless Congress approved upgrades to critical infrastructure.
President Donald Trump has requested $30.1 billion for the upgrades although Duffy has previously said the system needs $50 billion for the overhaul.
What Happens Next?
Federal investigators will continue to analyze exactly what occurred during the upgrade work and why the issue spread through parts of the FAA network.
Newsweek has contacted the FAA to inquire whether the L3Harris contract to modernize the FTI will be voided should the investigation find "incompetence" was to blame for the incident and subsequent ground stop.
The FAA said the domestic flight schedule should return to normal by the end of Sunday.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Trevor Davies
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