Communications tech business secures £51m follow-on deal with SpaceX

Filtronic, a designer and manufacturer of advanced communications technologies, has secured a $68.1m/£51.3m follow-on order from American aerospace business SpaceX.

This is for the supply of Filtronic’s Cerus E-band gallium nitride (“GaN”) Solid State Power Amplifier (“SSPA”) units.

It represents the largest order received by the Leeds-based company from SpaceX and follows a $62.5m order announced in August 2025 for its next-generation, proprietary GaN E-band technology.

The new order is expected to be materially fulfilled during FY 2028.

Filtronic said the follow-on order demonstrates the continued commercial adoption of its proprietary GaN technology and further strengthens its strategic partnership with SpaceX.

It explained that GaN enables higher output power, improved efficiency and enhanced thermal performance compared with traditional gallium arsenide (“GaAs”) solutions, providing important performance advantages for demanding applications including low Earth orbit satellite communications.

Nat Edington, the company’s chief executive officer, said: “This follow-on order from SpaceX, is another significant milestone for Filtronic, providing extended order visibility and coverage over the next couple of years.

“This order provides further evidence of the growing importance of GaN technology in high-frequency communications and reinforces Filtronic’s position at the leading edge of this transition.

“The order also provides significant revenue visibility into FY 2028 and beyond, representing another important step for the business but also the continued development of our partnership with SpaceX.”