With each passing day, it seems, the Department of Defense is breaking new records for spending. On Thursday, the Pentagon set its fourth such record of the week, announcing a staggering 86 separate contract awards worth $7.55 billion.

Of these, defense contractor L-3 Communications (LLL) won five contracts and a piece of a sixth for:

  • $102.6 million: an option exercise extending by one year, through Oct. 1, 2014, L-3's work in providing logistics support for T-1A Jayhawk advanced pilot training aircraft based at Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Okla., Columbus AFB, Miss., Randolph AFB, Texas, Laughlin AFB, Texas, and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla.;
  • $21.1 million: an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to supply various pieces of radio hardware to the U.S. Navy to tear down and evaluate existing hardware, and to service the new units through September 2018;
  • $15.2 million: modifying a task order to perform qualification testing on Extended Long Range Air Launch Targets, and updating a Mission Assurance Plan and Parts, Materials, and Processes Mission Assurance Plan to account for the changes. The value of the underlying contract to which this task order relates now rises to a maximum of $144.6 million, and performance will take place between Sept. 30, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013;
  • $13.7 million: a firm-fixed-priced contract for the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on two Landing Craft, Air Cushioned (LCAC) craft. The LCAC SLEP aims to extend the service life of the LCACs from 20 to 30 years, improve their capability, upgrade obsolete electronics, repair corrosion damage, and reduce maintenance costs. This contract should be completed by May 2015;
  • and $9.1 million: adding additional testing to a task order to perform Short Range Air Launch Target Assembly, Integration, and Test, and updating a Mission Assurance Plan and Parts, Materials, and Processes Mission Assurance Plan to account for the changes. The value of the underlying contract to which this task order relates now rises to a maximum of $60.2 million, and performance will take place between Sept. 30, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013.

Additionally, L-3's National Security Solutions subsidiary was named one of a dozen companies that will be allowed to bid on task orders under a $4.1 billion firm-fixed-price, non-option-eligible, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple vendor award to supply the U.S. Army with unspecified "communications and transmissions systems." Other companies winning the right to bid for task orders under this contract include AT&T (T 0.18%), General Dynamics (GD 0.27%), Harris (LHX 0.43%), Lockheed Martin (LMT -0.28%) as well as Booz Allen Hamilton, Computer Sciences, DRS, Globecomm Systems, Intelligent Decisions, LGS Innovations, and Serco,