Eric DeMarco, CEO of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, has said he expects Kratos’ satellite communications business to grow, partly because of the U.S. government’s increased focus on space technologies, Space Intel Report reported Friday.
“In the 2018 [Defense Department] budget request, space and satellite-related funding lines received one of the largest increases in request over the prior year, which is directly related to the perceived threats to U.S. space capabilities,” DeMarco stated during an investor call Thursday.
He added that Kratos is focused “more than ever” on satcom and other businesses aside from the company’s unmanned systems segment, which grew by 127 percent in revenue for a three-month period ending Oct. 1 compared to the same period in 2016.
Kratos claims it plays a role in 85 percent of U.S. government space missions and that the company’s commercial satcom clients make up more than 75 percent of the world’s commercial satellite operators.