KTEK AEROSYSTEMS LTD (ASX:KTK) has strengthened its position in the global defence and unmanned systems supply chain, advancing its United States expansion while establishing a new SATCOM product line through a commercial arrangement with Israeli satellite communications specialist Over-Sat Ltd.
The company has lodged an export licence application with the Netherlands Central Import and Export Office to allow components manufactured in Europe to be exported to the US and assembled at KTEK’s Los Angeles facility. If approved, the licence would create a trans-Atlantic supply corridor linking KTEK’s European production base with its US operations.
The licence application follows securing the Los Angeles production and engineering facility in June 2026, which provides office space for customer engagement and warehouse space for production and assembly.
Together, the facility and export licence would form the core building blocks of KTEK’s US route to market, enabling the company to assemble, demonstrate and deliver finished products from a US address.
The move is part of KTEK’s IPO expansion strategy, which allocated between A$2.5 million and A$3.1 million, or about 30% of funds raised, to US expansion over the first two years after admission. KTEK said securing the LA facility and lodging the licence application meant key steps had been completed within the first three months of that period.
The company is targeting the US defence market, which it describes as the world’s largest, with total defence funding of about US$1 trillion in FY2026 and growing investment in unmanned and counter-unmanned systems.
SATCOM capability adds new product line
KTEK has also established a new business unit to design and manufacture SWaP-efficient satellite communications components and sub-assemblies for defence and commercial customers.
The new capability begins with a Letter of Intent with Over-Sat, under which KTEK will provide engineering, manufacturing and industrialisation services for selected components of Over-Sat’s MANTIS and PYTHON systems. Work will be defined through individual work orders covering scope, deliverables, schedules, pricing and quality requirements.
The cooperation gives the company an entry point into the growing SATCOM-on-the-Move market and creates potential for a broader scalable product line across airborne, maritime and land-based platforms.
Over-Sat technology targets moving platforms
Over-Sat develops SATCOM terminals for mission-critical operations across maritime, airborne, energy and government sectors. Its proprietary Luneburg Lens antenna technology uses advanced 3D printing of metamaterials to support compact, high-performance, multi-band and multi-orbit connectivity across GEO, MEO and LEO satellite networks.
The technology is designed to maintain reliable video, voice and data communications while platforms are moving, including at low satellite elevation angles where conventional antennas can be less effective. KTEK said the compact form factor makes the systems suitable for UAVs, unmanned surface vessels, autonomous underwater vehicles and other mobile platforms.
Over-Sat’s terminals have been deployed on Elbit Systems’ Seagull unmanned surface vessel and selected for supply to a major European Navy, while the company has also received orders for PYTHON-5 and MANTIS-10 terminals from a strategic defence customer in Asia.
Management sees strategic fit
KTEK founder and managing director Dekel Keisar said SATCOM was a natural extension of the company’s aerospace and defence capabilities, particularly as unmanned platforms demand lighter and more compact communications hardware.
“Weight and size reduction is a non-negotiable requirement across every modern UAV and unmanned program we work in, and communications hardware is under constant engineering pressure to become lighter and more compact without sacrificing performance,” Keisar said.
On the US expansion, Keisar said customer discussions indicated a preference for product to be delivered locally.
“With the Los Angeles facility secured and this licence application lodged, we are building the supply chain to do exactly that — manufacture in Europe, assemble in the US, and deliver to US customers from a US address,” he said.
About KTEK Aerosystems
KTEK Aerosystems is a Tier-2 supplier of composite airframes and electromechanical assemblies for military and commercial UAVs.
The company delivers built-to-spec and full-turnkey sub-assemblies across composite airframes, electromechanical assemblies, rugged defence systems, systems integration and kitting, and now SATCOM components and sub-assemblies.
KTEK operates an asset-light “Cordless Factory” model, retaining engineering design, structural analysis and quality assurance in-house while outsourcing physical manufacturing to a certified global partner network across Israel, Europe, Thailand and the United States.