Amazon’s Kuiper teams with L3Harris to develop secure military satellite communications

Amazon’s Project Kuiper is expanding into defense through a partnership with L3Harris Technologies to develop military-grade satellite communication solutions. The collaboration, announced April 29, 2025, focuses on creating secure payloads and hybrid terminals that integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure. This move positions Kuiper Government Solutions (KGS) to compete with SpaceX’s Starshield in the growing military satcom market. Key aspects include encrypted communications with ‘guaranteed landing rights’ to address data sovereignty concerns, and the development of hybrid terminals for the U.S. Air Force that can connect to both military and commercial networks. The partnership leverages Kuiper’s planned 3,200-satellite LEO constellation, despite having only launched 27 prototypes so far. L3Harris emphasizes the strategic timing of the collaboration, enabling them to influence technical requirements early in Kuiper’s deployment cycle. AWS integration aims to provide battlefield personnel with secure, cloud-enhanced communications comparable to closed tactical networks, while maintaining data protection standards required by international governments.