Kymeta announced that Hanwha Systems (HSC) has signed an agreement to invest $30 million to back the development of Kymeta’s next-generation solutions, the Kymeta u8™ and Kymeta Connect™.

The investment will further Kymeta’s global market reach, accelerate production of Kymeta products and solutions, and improve the overall growth trajectory of the company. The funding is anticipated to support increased unit production, an enhanced customer experience and the ongoing development of Kymeta’s next-generation capabilities. HSC aims to support Kymeta’s metamaterial-based antenna technology and gain a foothold in the rapidly growing LEO antenna market. With the capital investment and upon regulatory approvals, HSC will also receive a seat on the Kymeta Board of Directors.

“The objective of our investment in Kymeta is to enter the LEO satellite antenna market early on, and diversify our technology portfolio,” said Youn Chul Kim, CEO of Hanwha Systems. “With the expertise of HSC’s top-notch defense communication and radar technologies, we are joining hands with this promising U.S. satellite antenna company. All these efforts will further strengthen HSC’s aerospace systems capabilities.”

The investment follows the commercial availability of Kymeta’s next-generation antenna, terminal and services on November 30, 2020. Kymeta offers seamless and uninterrupted mobile satellite-cellular connectivity to satisfy the overwhelming demand for communications on the move. Kymeta’s new products and services offer a breakthrough in performance, ease of use and affordability. The company anticipates that these solutions will further enhance its position in both commercial and government markets.

“Support from HSC will help us expand our reach and drive the development and productization of our meta-material based antenna technology,” said Doug Hutcheson, executive chairman, Kymeta. “LEO antenna solutions will become preferred for latency-sensitive and highly mobile applications as additional LEO satellites are launched and constellations are deployed. Kymeta’s solutions work on existing GEO networks and are LEO upgradable. We look forward to working with HSC to develop technologies and solutions that are reliable and critical for communications on the move.”