On September 4, 2026, satellite communications manufacturer Kymeta Corporation announced that it secured a $20 million contract order from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The order encompasses the delivery of Kymeta’s flat-panel satellite terminals, integrated mobility packages, and software-defined multi-orbit connectivity services to support tactical communications for military forces.
Contract Context and Procurement Lineage
The award expands Kymeta’s position as a primary supplier of low-profile metamaterial antennas for defense applications. The $20 million procurement builds upon previous U.S. military hardware orders, including Kymeta’s $50 million Defense Information Systems Agency contract to provide resilient satellite terminal hardware across multi-domain defense networks.
The contract fulfillment will be supported by production capacity funded through Kymeta’s $85 million equity and debt financing round, which expanded high-rate manufacturing lines at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
Terminal Hardware and Multi-Orbit Specifications
Under the order terms, Kymeta will deliver electronically steered user terminals designed for low-profile installation on tactical military vehicles, maritime platforms, and mobile command posts:
- Electromagnetic Metamaterial Architecture: Utilizes holographic beamforming technology to electronically point and track satellites without moving mechanical parts, reducing power consumption and mechanical failure rates.
- Multi-Orbit Compatibility: Connects dynamically across Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations in Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies.
- Communications-on-the-Move (COTM): Maintains continuous satellite links while vehicles travel across rough terrain at high speeds, providing uninterrupted data backhaul for tactical networks.
- Software-Defined PACE Integration: Integrates Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) automated network switching to route communications around active electronic warfare jamming.
Defense Operational Rationale and Network Resilience
Modern military operations in contested environments require resilient communications capable of surviving electronic warfare, signal interception, and localized satellite jamming. Traditional parabolic dish antennas require mechanical gimbals that introduce latency during satellite handoffs and present a high-visibility profile to enemy forces.
By deploying electronically steered flat-panel terminals, Department of Defense operators achieve low-profile installation on standard tactical vehicles. The multi-orbit switching capacity allows ground units to seamlessly failover from GEO broadband links to proliferated LEO constellations if primary satellite signals are degraded or obstructed by terrain.
Executive Leadership Viewpoint
“This $20 million order from the Department of Defense reflects the growing necessity for resilient, multi-orbit satellite connectivity at the tactical edge,” said Rick Bergman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kymeta. “Our flat-panel terminal technology is engineered to deliver continuous communications on the move in contested environments, ensuring military personnel maintain critical data links wherever their missions demand.”
Delivery Schedule and Field Deployment
Deliveries of the flat-panel terminals, vehicle mounting kits, and integrated modem assemblies will begin immediately from Kymeta’s Redmond manufacturing facility. Hardware integration and field deployment across active Department of Defense operational units are scheduled to proceed through the remainder of 2026 and into early 2027.
