Gilat Satellite secures $43m ESA orders for in-flight connectivity
Gilat Satellite Networks has received $43 million in additional orders for its Sidewinder electronically steered antenna (ESA) terminals from a major in-flight connectivity (IFC) service provider. The Israeli satellite networking firm, listed on both NASDAQ and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, said deliveries will take place over the next 18 months in both line-fit and retrofit configurations, suggesting the customer is equipping new aircraft while also upgrading existing fleets.
Gilat did not name the IFC provider, citing what is common practice in aviation supply contracts where airline customers frequently request confidentiality. The deal follows prior Sidewinder orders from the same unnamed customer, making this an expansion of an existing commercial relationship rather than a new contract win.
The technology case
The Sidewinder terminal is designed for multi-orbit satellite operation, meaning it can connect to geostationary (GEO), medium-earth orbit (MEO) and low-earth orbit (LEO) constellations without swapping hardware. That flexibility is increasingly central to IFC procurement decisions as operators seek to combine the capacity of established GEO satellites with the lower latency of LEO networks such as SpaceX's Starlink or OneWeb.
Mike Pigott, President of Gilat Stellar Blu, the subsidiary responsible for IFC antenna products, said Sidewinder was purpose-built for the shift toward "high-performance, scalable, multi-orbit architectures" and enables service providers to maintain stable connectivity across diverse routes and complex network configurations.
ESA terminals use phased-array technology to steer beams electronically rather than mechanically, removing the moving parts that have historically driven maintenance costs on aircraft. The low-profile form factor also reduces aerodynamic drag compared with dome-style antennas, a consideration that airline operators weigh against fuel burn on long-haul routes.
Market context
The IFC market is growing quickly, underpinned by passenger expectations shaped by terrestrial mobile and broadband experiences. Inmarsat, Viasat and SES are the established satellite operators with dedicated aviation connectivity portfolios, while SpaceX has been aggressive in signing Starlink Aviation deals with carriers including JSX, Air New Zealand and United Airlines. This competitive backdrop is pushing IFC service providers to upgrade antenna hardware capable of supporting multi-orbit switching in order to guarantee coverage and throughput on any given route.
Gilat competes in the antenna and terminal layer of this stack rather than operating a constellation itself, positioning it as a supplier to the IFC service providers who in turn contract with airlines. That model gives the company exposure to fleet-wide rollouts as airlines standardise on a single terminal type, which explains the line-fit plus retrofit structure of the current order.
Regulatory tailwinds are also present. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have both been streamlining supplemental type certificate processes for in-cabin connectivity hardware, reducing the time and cost of certifying new antenna designs for installation. Faster certification paths lower barriers to retrofit campaigns, which could accelerate order conversion for vendors like Gilat in the near term.
The $43 million figure represents a meaningful order for a company that reported full-year 2025 revenues in the range typical of mid-tier satellite equipment vendors. Gilat has not disclosed cumulative Sidewinder order value to date, but this additional tranche signals the customer is committed to a substantial fleet deployment rather than a limited trial.