The Goal – Ensure Continuous Satellite Communication in the Battlefield

As the world's defense budgets are increasing at an accelerated rate, along with a rise in the number of low-earth-orbit satellites, the demand for high-quality and resilient satellite communication on the battlefield is also increasing. This communication method is essential in combat because its signals are difficult to jam and its performance is considered excellent. "Today, the challenges in combat and response times require networking of the various forces on a single network" explains Daniel Eshchar, CEO of Orbit Communications Systems. "The battlefield is dense and very fast-paced, so it is impossible for each force to operate on a different communication network. Satellite communication, which is considered safer and more secure, is a significant building block in this arena."

Three patented product lines

Orbit Communication Systems, one of the pioneers of the growing Israeli industry since the founding of the state, will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year. In fact, Orbit was actually one of Israel's first "start-ups" in the fields of electronics and communication, and today it develops high-end solutions in the communication sector. The company currently employs about 230 people, operates in more than 60 countries and has more than 270 active customers, including many from the list of the world's 100 largest defense companies. About 75% of the company's revenues are from exports, and the rest from Israel. 80% of sales are to the defense market, in Israel and abroad, and about 20% to the civilian market.

Orbit currently has three leading product lines:

1. Audio Management Systems for aircraft — "These systems are deployed on fighter jets, mission aircraft, training aircraft and unmanned aerial systems. Our customers in these sectors, with active contracts, include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Airbus, Sierra Nevada, the US Air Force, and more," notes Eshchar. "Orbit has been developing and supplying these systems for over 30 years, with thousands of systems installed globally, and a large portion of the Israeli Air Force aircraft fly with Orbit-made systems."

2. Mobile satellite communication systems – terminals installed on airborne and marine platforms, both military and civilian. The company is also targeting the market of mobile ground systems for military uses, such as armored vehicles. "Here, too, we have thousands of systems installed in the air and at sea. Our systems are considered leaders in their field, with registered international patents," explains Eshchar.

3. Ground stations for communication with remote sensing satellites from space, telemetry systems and precision positioners – systems for downloading data from space using ground stations, for military and civilian uses, in addition to the development and sale of precision positioners for a variety of applications. "Here we develop and provide telemetry systems, missile tracking, aerial object tracking and more, and market them in Israel and abroad," he clarifies.

What are Orbit's unique advantages?

"On the one hand, Orbit has an incredible legacy and vast knowledge gained over decades that has accumulated in the company's centers, including employees who have been here for decades," explains Asaf Punis, the company's VP of Marketing and Business Development. "This knowledge is a pillar of all innovative solutions Orbit is bringing to the market. On the other hand, the company has cutting edge technologies — technologies that are at the forefront of global innovation, with flexibility, agility and competitive prices to adapt to changing markets. One-third of the company's workforce are engineers engaged in development, and we invest about 20% of the company's revenue every year in developing new products. Each one of our engineers has enormous weight in their position."

"The communication field globally is growing at incredible rates. The demand for more and more bandwidth and connectivity – at sea, in the air and on land – is enormous and Orbit meets these needs with unique technologies that combine different frequency bands and satellite communication networks," adds Eshchar. "Our products are key to effective defense communication on the modern battlefield. Orbit also incorporates machine learning capabilities in all products, in order to offer our customers advanced capabilities, optimizing and improving their performance."

What are the innovations in the field of satellite communication?

"The satellites domain is undergoing dramatic changes in recent years with regard to low-earth-orbit satellites – Earth Observation – and Orbit meets the demand by providing advanced communication solutions and ground stations for this field," adds Punis. "Orbit's ability to support multiple networks, with the highest quality antennas, is significant. We developed an innovative system with three frequency bands with the ability to switch between different satellites at the push of a button, which gives customers maximum flexibility in operating the system. Our system continues to work and provide continuous communication even in the event of a cyber-attack. We are among the only ones in the world to have identified this vulnerability, so in the event the antenna itself experiences a cyber-attack and does not point to the satellite, the communication will be disrupted. That is why we have integrated cyber protection at the hardware level into the antenna itself."

And what is the vision for the future?

"To continue to be a leading and growing global company, increasing our turnover from tens of millions of dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars. It is important for us to enter additional countries, such as the Abraham Accords countries and the Ukraine-border area, and to provide leading and advanced products to offer our customers high-level connectivity – both professionally and qualitatively – and continuous, proper operation over time," concludes Eshchar.

In collaboration with Orbit Communication Systems