As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 2003

                                                              Registration No.

==============================================================================

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549
                                --------------
                                   FORM S-8
                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                --------------

                       L-3 COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC.
            (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


              Delaware                                   13-3937434
     (State or other jurisdiction                    (I.R.S. Employer
   of incorporation or organization)               Identification Number)

                       L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
                               600 Third Avenue
                           New York, New York 10016
                         (Address, including zip code,
                 of Registrant's principal executive office)

                    L-3 Communications Master Savings Plan
    L-3 Communications ILEX Systems, Inc. Savings & Security Plan and Trust
          Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems 401(k) Plan
                           (Full title of the Plans)


                            Christopher C. Cambria
                       L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
                               600 Third Avenue
                           New York, New York 10016
                                (212) 697-1111

           (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
            including area code, of Registrant's agent for service)

                                  Copies to:

                           Vincent Pagano, Jr. Esq.
                          Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
                             425 Lexington Avenue
                         New York, New York 10017-3954
                                (212) 455-2000

                                --------------

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


=================================================== =============== ============== =================== ==============
       Title of Securities to be Registered                           Proposed
                                                                      Maximum         Proposed
                                                                      Offering         Maximum           Amount of
                                                     Amount to be     Price Per        Aggregate       Registration
                                                      Registered      Share (a)    Offering Price(a)      Fee(a)
--------------------------------------------------- --------------- -------------- ------------------- --------------
                                                                                           
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share              5,000,000        $35.21       $176,050,000        $14,242.45
=================================================== =============== ============== =================== ==============


(a)   Pursuant to Rule 457(h)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
      (the "Securities Act"), the proposed maximum offering price per share,
      the proposed maximum aggregate offering price and the amount of
      registration fee have been computed on the basis of the average of the
      high and low prices of the Common Stock reported on the New York Stock
      Exchange Composite Tape on March 5, 2003.

In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act, this
registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be
offered or sold pursuant to the employee benefit plans described above.





                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference

      The following documents filed by L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (the
"Company" or the "Registrant") with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "Commission") pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the "Exchange Act"), are hereby incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement:

     (a)  The Company's Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
          ended December 31, 2002;

     (b)  Description of the Company's "Common Stock" contained in the
          Company's registration statement on Form S-3/A dated June 20, 2002
          (File No. 333-84826).

      All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14
and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement
and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration
Statement indicating that all securities offered have been sold or which
deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be part
hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall
be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration
Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any
subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so
modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or
superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities

      Not required.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

      None.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

      Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
empowers a Delaware corporation to indemnify any persons who are, or are
threatened to be made, parties to any threatened, pending or completed legal
action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation),
by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer, director,
employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of
such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. The
indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines
and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person
in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided that such
officer, director, employee or agent acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation's best
interests, and, for criminal proceedings, had no reasonable cause to believe
his conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify officers and
directors in an action by or in the right of the corporation under the same
conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial
approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the
corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or
otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must
indemnify him against the expenses which such officer or director actually and
reasonably incurred.

      The Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides
that the Company shall indemnify directors and officers made party to any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative, including appeals, to the fullest
extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware. Such indemnification
shall continue after an individual ceases to be an officer or director and
shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such
person. The Amended and Restated Company's Certificate of Incorporation also
provides that a director of the Company shall not be personally liable to



the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary
duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or
limitation thereof is not permitted under the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware as the same exists or may hereafter be amended.

      The indemnification rights conferred by the Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company are not exclusive of any other
right to which a person seeking indemnification may otherwise be entitled. The
Company will also provide liability insurance for the directors and officers
for certain losses arising from claims or charges made against them while
acting in their capacities as directors or officers.

      Article XXII of the Amended Restated By-Laws of the Company contains
provisions regarding indemnification which parallels those described above.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed

      Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits

      The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

      4.1      Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated herein by reference
               to Exhibit 3.1 of L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.'s
               Registration Statement on Form S-1, as filed with the
               Commission on February 27, 1998 (File No. 333-46975))

      4.2      By-laws (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of L-3
               Communications Holdings, Inc.'s Registration Statement on Form
               S-1, as filed with the Commission on February 27, 1998 (File
               No. 333-46975))

      4.3      Form of stock certificate (incorporated herein by reference to
               Exhibit 4.1 of L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.'s Registration
               Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-46975))

      5.1      Opinion of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

      23.1     Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

      24       Power of Attorney




Item 9. Undertakings

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement;

     (i)  to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the
          Securities Act of 1933 (the "Act");

     (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the
          effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent
          post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
          aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set
          forth in this Registration Statement (except to the extent the
          information required to be included by clauses (i) or (ii) is
          contained in periodic reports filed by the Company pursuant to
          Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by
          reference into this Registration Statement);

     (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of
          distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement
          or any material change to such information in this Registration
          Statement.

(2)  That, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Act, each
such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof.

(3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of
the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the
offering.

(4)  That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Act, each filing
of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and each filing of the Plan's annual report pursuant to Section
15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof.

(5)  To submit the Company's Plans and any amendments to such plans to the
Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") in a timely manner and to make all
changes required by the IRS in order to qualify such plans under Section 401
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(6)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Act may be
permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant
pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against
public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the
event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than
the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director,
officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of
any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or
controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the
Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication
of such issue.




                                  SIGNATURES


       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on this
11th day of March 2003.


                                         L-3 COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC.
                                         ---------------------------------
                                                (Registrant)



                                         By: /s/ Christopher C. Cambria
                                             ---------------------------------
                                               Christopher C. Cambria
                                               Senior Vice President -
                                               General Counsel and Secretary


       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.



                                                                                       
      Signature                                     Title                                        Date
      ---------                                     -----                                        ----

*                                            Chairman, Chairman of the Board,                March 11, 2003
----------------------------------------     Chief Executive Officer and Director
         Frank C. Lanza                      (principal executive officer)


*                                            President, Chief Financial                      March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------     Officer and Director (principal
         Robert V. LaPenta                   financial and accounting officer)


*                                            Senior Vice President--Finance                  March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         Michael T. Strianese


*                                            Director                                        March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         Thomas A. Corcoran


*                                            Director                                        March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         Robert B. Millard


*                                            Director                                        March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         John E. Montague


*                                            Director                                        March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         John M. Shalikashvili


*                                            Director                                        March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         Arthur L. Simon




*                                            Director                                        March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         Alan H. Washkowitz


/s/ Christopher C. Cambria                                                                   March  11, 2003
----------------------------------------
         Christopher C. Cambria
         * Attorney-in-fact






       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
appropriate person (or other persons who administer the L-3 Communications
Master Savings Plan, the L-3 Communications ILEX Systems, Inc. Savings &
Security Plan and Trust and the Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems
401(k) Plan) has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York,
State of New York, on this 11th day of March 2003.


                                 L-3 Communications Master Savings Plan,
                                 the L-3 Communications ILEX Systems, Inc.
                                 Savings & Security Plan and Trust and the
                                 Aviation Communications & Surveillance
                                 Systems 401(k) Plan




                                 By: /s/ Christopher C. Cambria
                                    ---------------------------------------
                                     Name:   Christopher C. Cambria
                                     Title:  Senior Vice President -
                                             General Counsel and Secretary
                                             L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
                                             Benefit Committee






                               INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit                            Description
Number

4.1         Certificate of Incorporation  (incorporated herein by reference to
            Exhibit 3.1 of L-3 Communications  Holdings,  Inc.'s  Registration
            Statement  on Form S-1, as filed with the  Commission  on February
            27, 1998 (File No. 333-46975))

4.2         By-laws  (incorporated  herein by  reference to Exhibit 3.2 of L-3
            Communications  Holdings,  Inc.'s  Registration  Statement on Form
            S-1, as filed with the  Commission  on February 27, 1998 (File No.
            333-46975))

4.3         Form of stock  certificate  (incorporated  herein by  reference to
            Exhibit 4.1 of L-3 Communications  Holdings,  Inc.'s  Registration
            Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-46975))

5           Opinion of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

23.1        Consent as PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

24          Power Of Attorney