Houlihan Lokey Advises Stellar Blu Solutions

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Stellar Blu Solutions LLC (Stellar Blu), a portfolio company of Fortress Investment Group LLC (Fortress), has been acquired by Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (Gilat). The transaction closed on January 6, 2025.

Stellar Blu is a leading provider of next-generation SATCOM terminal technology, offering turnkey inflight connectivity solutions such as terminal development, aircraft integration, and certification and installation packages. The company’s flagship product, SIDEWINDER, is a multi-orbit, multi-network, aero terminal that utilizes an open architecture and fuselage-mounted electronically steered array (ESA) antenna. SIDEWINDER has been selected by Intelsat, Panasonic, OneWeb, and others to redefine the in-flight connectivity paradigm for its airline customers with its network-agnostic design, high throughput, minimalist design, and significantly lower total cost of ownership.

Gilat (NASDAQ:GILT; TASE:GILT) is a leading global provider of satellite-based broadband communications. With more than 35 years of experience, Gilat creates and delivers deep technology solutions for satellite, ground, and new space connectivity and provides comprehensive, secure end-to-end solutions and services for mission-critical operations. Gilat’s comprehensive offerings support multiple applications with a portfolio of products and tailored solutions to address key applications, including broadband access, mobility, cellular backhaul, enterprise, defense, aerospace, broadcast, government, and critical infrastructure clients, all while meeting the most stringent service-level requirements.

Fortress is a leading, highly diversified global investment manager. Founded in 1998 and based in New York City, Fortress manages $49 billion of assets (as of September 30, 2024) on behalf of approximately 2,000 institutional clients and private investors worldwide across a range of credit and real estate, private equity, and permanent capital investment strategies.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Stellar Blu and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on its behalf. This transaction exemplifies the continued success of Houlihan Lokey’s Aerospace, Defense & Government practice. Since 2020, the team has closed more than 70 transactions worth more than $13 billion in enterprise value. With a staff of approximately 20 financial professionals, Houlihan Lokey’s Aerospace, Defense & Government practice is among the largest dedicated industry banking groups worldwide. In 2023, Houlihan Lokey was ranked as the No. 1 M&A advisor for global industrials transactions under $1 billion, according to LSEG (formerly Refinitiv).*

*Excludes accounting firms and brokers.

RELATED: Defense, Aerospace, Government Services and Technology