Ibadan, 14 September 2026. – SWISSto12 and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) will explore joint opportunities in advanced payloads, radio-frequency (RF) products and business development in Japan and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two companies.
3D-printed RF technology meets satellite integration expertise
The MoU builds on SWISSto12’s HummingLink portfolio of advanced payloads and RF products, which uses the company’s proprietary additive-manufacturing processes to produce antennas, waveguides, filters and other RF components. More than 2,000 of its 3D-printed RF products are already in orbit, providing flight heritage across a range of communications applications.
The agreement will subsequently explore how SWISSto12’s additive-manufacturing technology and RF payload capabilities could be combined with MELCO’s satellite-system expertise and integration capabilities.
“SWISSto12’s innovative technologies, including its 3D-printing-based component manufacturing technology and small geostationary satellite platform, hold tremendous potential,” noted Masahiko Arai, Executive Officer and Group President, Defense & Space Systems, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. “By combining these technologies with our expertise in the development and manufacturing of defense- and space-related systems, we are confident that we can deliver unprecedented value to our customers.”
A phased-array antenna contract
Separately, MELCO awarded SWISSto12 a contract to supply advanced phased-array antenna products for the Japanese government’s GEO secure-communications program. Mitsubishi Electric was awarded a ¥123.5 billion (approximately $800 million), contract by Japan’s Ministry of Defense in February 2026 to develop and build a replacement satellite for the Kirameki-2 X-band communications satellite, adding a concrete commercial element to the companies’ broader cooperation under the MoU.
“We are proud to partner strategically with MELCO and support the next-generation sovereign communications system of Japan,” remarked Emile de Rijk, CEO, SWISSto12. “Demand in APAC is growing for innovative, advanced payloads and RF products across sovereign land, sea, air, and space applications and we are confident that together, we can scale our ability to meet it.”
The agreement and award comes as SWISSto12 scales its commercial operations following a $70 million Series C financing round announced in July 2026. Intended to support the expansion of SWISSto12’s multi-orbit communications business, the move into Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific market forms part of the company’s broader effort to expand its customer base and commercial footprint as demand for its RF and satellite communications technologies grows.
