What Norden Millimeter does

Norden Millimeter is a US-based designer and manufacturer of microwave and millimeter-wave (MMW) RF components, founded in 2001 and headquartered in Placerville, California, with a secondary design and manufacturing facility in Reno, Nevada. The company's product portfolio spans the 0.5 to 110 GHz frequency range and includes RF amplifiers (low-noise, standard, and power), frequency multipliers (X2 to X12 and higher), frequency up- and down-converters, transceivers (including a flagship 3U OpenVPX wideband transceiver), and supporting components such as VCOs, DROs, RF switches, and switched filters, complemented by a custom-assemblies engineering service for specialized military and aerospace requirements. Core technology is built on MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) integration with MIL-STD-883-based workmanship, manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D quality systems at facilities capable of in-house environmental testing across the -55°C to +100°C military temperature range.

The company operates a catalog-plus-custom business model, generating revenue from both in-house catalog sales (50+ SKUs) and custom engineering services that include non-recurring engineering (NRE) charges. All pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is executed through an in-house US sales team backed by a network of six independent manufacturer representative firms covering all major US regions and international territories, supplemented by direct customer engagement at the IEEE International Microwave Symposium trade show. Primary end markets are US military and defense (EW, ELINT, RADAR, ISR, avionics) and aerospace, with secondary exposure to satellite communications and commercial 5G/telecommunications.

In March 2025, Norden Millimeter was acquired by Kratos Microwave Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), via an asset purchase agreement, with the existing workforce and management team retained. Post-acquisition, the company continues to operate as a unit within Kratos, with a stated goal of broadening the product portfolio, investing in growth, and leveraging combined defense prime contractor relationships.

Name

Norden Millimeter

Legal name

Norden Millimeter Inc.

Website

https://nordengroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Norden Millimeter designs and manufactures microwave and millimeter-wave RF components spanning 0.5 to 110 GHz, including amplifiers, multipliers, converters, and transceivers, for military, aerospace, SatCom, and 5G/telecom applications. Acquired by Kratos Defense in March 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RF & Microwave Components

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33422), Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334290)

SIC

Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment (3663), Communications Equipment, Nec (3669)

akta.pro primary industry

RF Front-End Modules (FEMs) & Integrated RF Modules (HDAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Microwave RF components
• Millimeter wave products
• Frequency converters
• RF power amplifiers
• Custom RF assemblies

Headquarters

HQ city

Placerville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Catalog Product Sales: Direct sales of in-house designed and manufactured catalog RF/microwave components (amplifiers, frequency multipliers, frequency converters, transceivers) covering 0.5 to 110 GHz, with 50+ catalog SKUs available with fast lead times. F.O.B. Placerville, California pricing.
2. Custom Engineering and Assembly Services: Custom design, development, and manufacture of specialized microwave products and subsystems for unique customer requirements, including NRE (non-recurring engineering) charges due upon PO acceptance and full military temperature range operation. Includes custom converters, amplifiers, multipliers, oscillators, and assemblies.
3. Indirect Sales via Manufacturer Representatives: Revenue routed through a US-wide network of independent sales representative firms covering all major US regions plus international territories; reps serve as the customer-facing channel in their territories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Norden Millimeter designs and manufactures microwave and millimeter-wave RF components spanning 500 MHz to 110 GHz, including RF amplifiers, frequency multipliers, frequency converters, transceivers, VCOs, DROs, RF switches, switched filters, and custom application-specific integrated assemblies. The company sells a 50+ SKU catalog of in-house designed hardware alongside a custom engineering and assembly service for specialized military, aerospace, SatCom, and 5G/commercial applications.

Product overview

Norden Millimeter provides a unified portfolio of state-of-the-art microwave and millimeter wave RF hardware products spanning 500 MHz to 110 GHz. The offering is structured as a catalog-plus-custom platform: the core catalog product lines — RF Amplifiers, Frequency Multipliers, Frequency Converters (up and down), Transceivers, and supporting components such as VCOs, DROs, RF Switches, and Switched Filters — are complemented by a Custom Assemblies service for highly specialized military, commercial, and test applications. Together these products serve Military, Aerospace, SatCom, Commercial, and 5G/Telecommunications industries, with all design and manufacturing performed in the United States at ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RF Amplifiers Norden's catalog of RF and microwave amplifiers spanning 500 MHz to 110 GHz, offered in narrow-band to multi-octave bandwidths. Includes low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), standard amplifiers, and power amplifiers for military, medical, commercial, and test applications. Sub-bands cover 0.5-2 GHz, 2-8 GHz, 6-18 GHz, 18-26.5 GHz, 18-40 GHz, 26.5-40 GHz, 33-50 GHz, 40-60 GHz, 50-75 GHz, 60-90 GHz, and 75-110 GHz.
• Frequency Multipliers Frequency multiplier products spanning 4 GHz to 110 GHz with multiplication factors from 2x to 12x and higher, available in wide-band and narrow-band units. Used in defense, telecommunications, and test equipment applications. Sub-bands include 18-26.5 GHz, 26.5-40 GHz, 33-50 GHz, 40-60 GHz, and 50-75 GHz.
• Frequency Converters (Up and Down Converters) Custom-engineered down converters and up converters covering 2 GHz to 110 GHz, with custom assemblies available for the 0.5-110 GHz range. Used in EW/RWR/ELINT, spectrum monitoring, test stations for military systems, SATCOM, and 5G. Applications include airborne (fixed and rotary wing), shipboard, and ground mobile platforms, plus avionics, electronic warfare (ECM, ESM, ELINT, SIGINT), RADAR, radar environment simulation, and ISR systems.
• Transceivers Standard and custom microwave transceivers covering 0.5 to 110 GHz, including RF, VPX, and millimeter wave transceivers. Flagship product is the NUDC2-18/1.3-2.3 VPX Transceiver, a dual-conversion transceiver in a 3U OpenVPX module providing 2-18 GHz operation, 1 GHz instantaneous IF bandwidth, 6 dB downconverter noise figure, 15 dB upconverter noise figure, variable RF/IF attenuation, and RS-485 digital control. Deployed in UAV/drones, airborne, shipboard, and ground support applications.
• Custom Assemblies Custom-designed and tested microwave and millimeter-wave products and subsystems for highly specialized requirements beyond catalog offerings. Includes multi-function assemblies, multi-octave designs, hermetic sealing, and Mil-Spec environmental compliance. Capabilities cover the full military temperature range (-55°C to +100°C) and span 0.5 to 110 GHz.
• VCOs, DROs, RF Switches, and Switched Filters Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCOs), Dielectric Resonator Oscillators (DROs), RF Switches, and Switched Filters offered alongside amplifiers, multipliers, converters, and transceivers as part of Norden's 500 MHz to 110 GHz product portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coverage of the full 0.5 to 110 GHz spectrum across catalog and custom products
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / corporate parent and core.

• Kratos Microwave Inc. (Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.)flagship / corporate parentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2025On March 7, 2025 Kratos Microwave Inc., a Kratos Defense & Security Solutions company, acquired Norden Millimeter Inc. under an asset purchase agreement. As part of Kratos, Norden broadened its portfolio, gained access to investment in growth, and can leverage combined resources to create greater value for customers, partners, and employees. Norden's workforce and management team continued with the business and all points of contact remained the same, with a dedicated integration team and plan.
• Spectrum Sales InccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent sales representative based in Syosset, NY serving Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, International, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Provides local sales coverage and quoting for Norden Millimeter customers.
• CMI Technical SalescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent sales representative (contact: Jim Pariseault) based in Laurel, MD serving Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington DC. Provides regional sales coverage.
• Spartech SouthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent sales representative (contact: Scott Brooks) based in Palm Bay, FL serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Provides southeastern US sales coverage.
• Bradford RF SalescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent sales representative based in North Andover, MA (P: 978-688-6209) serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Provides New England regional sales coverage.
• KJS MarketingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent sales representative (contact: Mark Hanusin) based in Maplewood, MO (P: 847-722-2557) serving Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Western Pennsylvania. Provides Midwest regional sales coverage.
• Disman-Bakner NorthwestcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent sales representative based in Bellevue, WA (P: 800-347-3010) serving Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Provides Pacific Northwest regional sales coverage.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Keysight Technologies: Test and measurement leader whose microwave/mmWave instruments and components address overlapping frequency ranges (into W-band) as Norden, and whose component solutions (formerly part of Agilent/HP) sit adjacent to Norden's test-equipment end customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Qorvo: Major RF semiconductor supplier with deep positions in defense, aerospace, and 5G infrastructure, offering amplifiers, switches, and integrated modules across microwave and mmWave bands. Overlaps with Norden's amplifier and converter lines but operates at much larger scale.
• Analog Devices: Large analog and RF/microwave semiconductor incumbent offering amplifiers, converters, transceivers, and integrated solutions across defense, aerospace, and 5G. Overlaps with Norden's mmWave component portfolio but serves customers as part of a much broader semiconductor and signal-chain catalog.
• L3Harris Technologies: Major defense prime with substantial RF, EW, SIGINT, and microwave subsystem capabilities. While not a direct catalog competitor, L3Harris is both a potential customer and competitor to Norden in mmWave components used in integrated EW/SIGINT platforms.
• Teledyne Technologies: Diversified defense, aerospace, and instrumentation conglomerate with significant RF/microwave content via Teledyne Defense Electronics and related units. Competes with Norden on defense/aerospace mmWave components and subsystems, though Teledyne operates at much greater scale.
• Kratos Microwave (parent division): Kratos Defense & Security Solutions' microwave products division (which acquired Norden) serves EW, radar, and missile programs with RF/microwave subsystems. Comparable as a parent platform and end-market peer, with broader portfolio scale and prime-contractor relationships.

Direct peers

• Mini-Circuits: Catalog supplier of RF, microwave, and millimeterwave components (amplifiers, multipliers, mixers, filters, switches) with broad frequency coverage. Comparable to Norden on catalog-plus-custom model and product breadth, but with a much larger global catalog and e-commerce ordering infrastructure.
• Pasternack (Infinite Electronics): Broad-line catalog distributor and manufacturer of RF, microwave, and millimeterwave components, interconnects, and assemblies. Comparable to Norden's catalog-plus-custom positioning, with a stronger e-commerce/transactional model and broader SKU base.
• MACOM Technology Solutions: Specialist supplier of high-performance RF, microwave, millimeterwave, and photonic semiconductor products spanning DC to >100 GHz. Directly competes with Norden's amplifiers, multipliers, converters, and transceivers across defense EW, radar, and SatCom end markets.
• Mercury Systems: Specialty defense electronics provider of RF, microwave, and millimeterwave subsystems and components for EW, SIGINT, radar, and C4ISR. Closely comparable to Norden in customer base (US DoD primes) and product type (mmWave transceivers, converters, custom assemblies), with a larger commercial footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NordenMillimeter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norden-millimeter

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norden Millimeter