Canadian industry and Indigenous enterprise unite with international expertise to support RAGNAR project and the future readiness of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
QinetiQ Group Canada Inc., Serco Canada Inc., Des Nedhe Group Defence, Cold Lake First Nations Defence Ltd. and Arcfield Canada Corp. have announced the formation of Team StrīQ, formalizing their collaboration to pursue Canada’s Range Advancement Generation Next & Airspace Revitalization program, known as RAGNAR project.
With Canada solely focused on the recapitalization of defence industries and comparable allied capabilities, now is the appropriate time to build a next-generation and best in class training program that also envisions broad economic development and Indigenous opportunities.
Team StrīQ has the capability to position Canada as a leader within middle power and allied nations and accelerate the repositioning of Canada’s defence capabilities within NORAD, NATO, and Five Eyes. This Canadian-led initiative also puts Canadian sovereignty and readiness at the centre of its approach, supporting Canadian control of critical data, security and operational priorities.
Team StrīQ combines expertise across training, managed services, systems integration, aerospace engineering and through-life support. The team’s proposal aims to create opportunities for Canadian companies, Indigenous enterprises, academia and regional workforces, strengthening domestic skills, supply chains, innovation and infrastructure. It will enable the creation of high-quality jobs while building local expertise in Goose Bay and expanding the military training ranges at Cold Lake and Bagotville. The economic impact of this initiative will reinforce Canada’s leadership in this strategic sector.
Corrie Dale, Managing Director, QinetiQ Canada, said: “Ensuring Canada’s next-generation aircraft and systems are matched by a next-generation training environment is the principal driver behind Team StrīQ’s proposal. QinetiQ has a long- term partnering agreement with the UK Ministry of Defence to ensure mission-critical capability is safe, interoperable and operationally ready. We look forward to bringing state-of-the-art expertise developed over many years to support Canada’s ambitions.”
Natasha McLean, Managing Director of Serco Canada, said: “We’re excited to be part of Team StriQ and build on our 30-year partnership with Canada’s Armed Forces. Our proven expertise in next-generation live and virtual training can ensure the Royal Canadian Air Force can test, train and exploit operational capabilities today and for years to come, all while boosting Canada’s defence industry and economy.”
Des Nedhe Group Defence and Cold Lake First Nations Defence Ltd. bring Indigenous business leadership, regional knowledge and long-term economic participation to the team.
Grant Oliver, President DNG Defence, said: “RAGNAR is one of the most important defence investments Saskatchewan and Alberta will see in a generation. DNG Defence and Cold Lake First Nations are committed to making sure it builds lasting Indigenous businesses, careers and prosperity across western Canada, while giving the RCAF the world-class training range it needs to better protect our borders and support our allies.”
Team StrīQ is fully committed to supporting Canada’s future operational readiness and connecting live aircraft, synthetic systems, advanced threat environments, telemetry, secure networks, data services and training centres as an integrated system.
Chief Kelsey Jacko, Cold Lake First Nations (CLFN Defence LP), said: “The Cold Lake Air Weapons Range is located within our traditional lands, and Cold Lake First Nations is committed to supporting its protection while helping advance RAGNAR project. Through CLFN Defence, we bring Indigenous-led business solutions, regional knowledge and practical capabilities that complement Team StrīQ’s mission and strengthen the delivery of a modern, sovereign training environment for Canada. This partnership creates an opportunity to demonstrate how First Nations expertise and enterprise can contribute directly to defence readiness while creating lasting benefits for our people, Canada, and future generations.”
Team StrīQ will develop its approach around Canada’s operational, technical, security and environmental requirements, subject to the Government of Canada’s acquisition decisions and procurement processes.
Luc Sabourin, Vice President, Arcfield Canada, said: “Arcfield Canada is proud to be part of Team StrīQ, bringing decades of Canadian aerospace and defence expertise to Project RAGNAR. Our platform agnostic capabilities will help sustainment advanced systems and support the RCAF’s long-term operational readiness while strengthening Canada’s sovereign defence capabilities.”
Team StrīQ is supported by D-TA Systems, Inzpire, the University of Alberta, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and Raymond EMC.
Noah Note: A very strong team coming out of the gate. For those that don't know, RAGNAR (Range Advancement Generation Next & Airspace Revitalization) is a $1 billion project that aims to modernize the training infrastructure behind Canada's fighter fleet as it transitions to the F-35. It is centered on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, with Bagotville's Military Flying Area serving as a regional hub.
Planned capabilities include expanding the test range through adding nearly ten times more available airspace, investing in new target complexes, range command-and-control and surveillance, threat surrogates, and a blended live and synthetic training environment that will also tie fighters into joint simulation and test networks.
A contract award is targeted for 2026/27, with IOC expected in 2029 and FOC in 2031/32. This is a strong team again out the gate. Qinetic had previously been contracted to develop a roadmap for modernizing the RCAFs air weapons ranges back in 2020. They also have a long-term deal with the UK MOD to modernize and operate the air ranges at MOD Aberporth and MOD Hebrides.
Serco have obviously been involved at Goose Bay for decades now, are a key subcontractor on FaCT, and important for this we're just rewarded last year the AFMS3 contract by the USAF for simulator and training services at more than 20 locations, building off their acquisition of Northrop Grumman's Mission Training and Satellite (MT&S) business.
Arcfield also leads support on the US Army's HyTEMPS II hypersonic test program, providing flight telemetry, data collection, secure communications and test architecture design. Thats experience that will be very importsnt to have in the coming years as we look to future Low-Observable and Hypersonic platforms as our primary threat vectors.
Getting CLFN and DNG Defence in here is also a great move to increase indigenous participation, especially as much of the future airspace will cross Indigenous communities across Northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Territories. Getting those communities involved is always important for such large-scale projects such as these, especially as we look to help build capscity and skilled workforces in our Indigenous communities. Projects like these provide mountains of opportunity.
Also mentioned here are the likes of D-TA, Inzpire, and building educational partnerships with institutions like the University of Alberta and NAIT. D-TA is another great company, whom is already providing a proof of concept EW range systen for training Belgian Defence pilots. That THREAT system tracks aircraft and points emulators at them to evaluate EW tactics on a flying range, incredibly similar to what we wanna see with RAGNAR.
Overall? A very experienced, strong team coming out of the gate here, with bith Educational and Indigenous participation right out of the gate. Both of which are very important to have in todays ecosystem, and great to see.