Gilat Blog
Q&A with Gilad Landsberg: Delivering Advanced Military Communications with Gilat’s New Defense Division
March 11, 2025
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Recently, Gilat proudly unveiled its new Defense Division—a bold step forward to reinforce its leadership in mission-critical communications. This dedicated division is designed to deliver cutting-edge connectivity solutions tailored to the unique challenges faced by military, HLS and government operations.
We sat down with Gilad Landsberg, the President of Gilat Defense, to discuss the vision, challenges, and innovations driving this new initiative.
Q: Gilad, congratulations on leading Gilat’s new Defense Division. What’s the vision behind this strategic move?
Thank you, these are exciting days for Gilat and for myself and my excellent team. Gilat Defense was created to bring cutting-edge technology, deep industry expertise, and an unwavering commitment to security and reliability to customers around the world.
Gilat’s Defense Division is committed to ensuring that defense organizations have access to purpose-built connectivity for even the most challenging missions. This includes supporting operations beyond line of sight, in hard-to-reach areas, and on the move, where traditional communication systems fall short or in need of a complimentary solution.
We’re leveraging the combined strengths of Gilat, Gilat DataPath, and Gilat Wavestream to provide a robust portfolio of products as well as fully integrated solutions that offer superior performance, reliability, and security with a clear understanding of the operational needs. Our goal is clear: to deliver mission success anywhere on land, sea, or in the air.
Q: What specific challenges does the division aim to address for defense customers?
Defense operations require dependable communication solutions capable of supporting mobility, security, resiliency and adaptability. Whether for ground vehicles, airborne platforms, or other assets, our systems ensure seamless connectivity and mission-critical performance under the most demanding conditions. Gilat Defense focuses on delivering innovative technologies that meet the unique needs of defense and HLS organizations, ensuring operational success.
Our solutions provide multi-orbit and multi-constellation support, offering enhanced resilience and redundancy to maintain connectivity in dynamic and challenging environments. Additionally, we tailor satellite communication capabilities to specific mission requirements, optimizing performance for each operational scenario. This mission-specific approach ensures that our users have the right communications infrastructure to execute their objectives with confidence and efficiency.
Q: What solutions does Gilat’s Defense Division offer to address these challenges?
Our portfolio includes a comprehensive range of multi-orbit solutions tailored for defense applications, including:
As said, each of these solutions is specifically designed to support defense operations, delivering exceptional reliability and performance when it matters most.
Q: Give us an example of how Gilat’s Defense Division differentiates from others in this space?
One key example is our one-stop shop capabilities, synergizing the advanced technology and expertise of all our business lines.
More specifically, by integrating the advanced satellite communication expertise of Gilat, the tactical terminal solutions of Gilat DataPath, the SSPA leadership of Gilat Wavestream and our integration capabilities we’re delivering solutions that very few companies can match. It’s truly a case of 1+1+1 > 3; and that synergy allows us to provide innovative solutions that meet and exceed customer expectations, delivering exceptional value and impact for our customers.
Q: Can you share a real-world example of your solutions in action?
While the nature of military and defense operations prevents us from sharing specific details, what we can say is this: Gilat is a trusted partner for the U.S. Department of Defense, NATO allies, and defense organizations worldwide.
Our solutions are engineered to meet the complex and evolving requirements of military operations. For example, our excellent and trusted DKETs (Deployable Ku-band Earth Terminals) delivered by Gilat DataPath are providing reliable, portable, high-performance network hubs to address the dynamic needs of our defense customers.
We are also deploying comprehensive technical and field services Globally, ensuring U.S. Defense end users maintain critical connectivity in the field. Additionally, we are actively developing next-generation Satcom-on-the-Move (SOTM) and Satcom-on-the-Pause (SOTP) modems to deliver superior performance and adaptability in the most challenging scenarios.
Gilat also deployed its Aquarius Modem Family over the mPOWER constellation, enabling SES MEO-GEO operation with the same Aquarius modem. This SDR modem supports both SCPC and Star topologies, operating seamlessly over the mPOWER constellation as well as GEO satellites.
By combining advanced technologies with global service and support, we ensure that defense and HLS organizations have the tools they need to achieve mission success.
Q: Just how experienced is Gilat? Are your solutions field-proven?
Absolutely. Our solutions have been deployed and tested in some of the world’s most demanding environments, ensuring they meet the rigorous requirements of defense operations.
For instance, our manpack and transportable terminals have supported missions in harsh terrains and extreme weather, proving their reliability and performance under real-world conditions. These combat-proven systems are designed to enable critical mission success regardless of the challenges.
Q: How does innovation play a role in the division’s strategy?
Innovation is central to everything we do. It’s not just about developing new technology—it’s about finding better ways to solve defense organizations’ challenges and give our users the edge they need.
For instance, by combining the unique capabilities of our three companies, we’re creating solutions that go beyond the sum of their parts. This synergy allows us to offer advanced technology platforms, such as integrated satcom systems, that provide unmatched reliability and performance.
Our approach also includes forward-thinking design and development, ensuring that our solutions remain adaptable to the evolving needs of defense and HLS organizations.
Q: Gilat’s Defense Division emphasizes a ‘legacy of trust.’ Can you elaborate on that?
Our legacy of trust is rooted in our decades of experience working with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government and defense organizations worldwide. Because of this history, we’ve demonstrated our ability to meet stringent requirements, deliver secure and reliable systems, and support mission-critical operations.
That trust extends far beyond any single relationship—it’s a reflection of our unwavering commitment to providing high-quality, dependable solutions for all our defense and government partners.
Q: What’s your message to potential customers as you launch this new division?
With Gilat’s Defense Division, you’re partnering with a team that understands the demands of defense operations and is dedicated to supporting your success.
We’ve built this division to deliver mission-critical connectivity that you can depend on—whether your operations are on land, at sea, or in the air. Our purpose-built solutions, proven expertise, and commitment to innovation ensure that you have the tools needed to achieve critical mission success, no matter the challenge.
For more information about Gilat Defense and its innovative SATCOM solutions, visit www.gilat.com/solutions/gilat-defense or stop by our Booth #2710 at Satellite 2025 in Washington, D.C.
