Initial award includes 100 tactical ISR systems under a Government of Canada procurement framework valued at up to C$25 million
MIRABEL, Québec, Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volatus Aerospace Inc. (TSX: FLT) (OTCQX: TAKOF) (Frankfurt: ABB.F) (“Volatus” or the “Company”), a Canadian-headquartered global aerospace and defence company, today announced that it has been awarded a five-year contract by the Government of Canada to supply Low-Cost Tactical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
The initial procurement includes 100 tactical ISR UAS systems, and provides Canada, at its sole discretion, with options to acquire up to an additional 4,900 tactical ISR UAS, creating a procurement pathway for as many as 5,000 systems in total. The Government of Canada’s procurement framework established a maximum price of C$5,000 per system and contemplated a maximum procurement envelope of C$25 million. Volatus’ contracted pricing remains commercially confidential.
Volatus was selected through the first Request for Proposal issued under Stream 1, Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems and counter-UxS, of the Government of Canada’s Defence Drone Initiative (DDI) Marketplace. The award follows Volatus’ qualification across all five DDI work streams and represents the Company’s first conversion of its DDI qualification into a CAF contract.
The contract covers an end-to-end tactical ISR solution, including aircraft, payloads, ground control stations, data links, training, sustainment, spare parts, documentation, and software and firmware support. The systems are intended to provide the CAF with a sustainable UAS capability supporting land forces across a wide range of missions.
“Canada is seeking sovereign, secure and supportable defence technologies that can be fielded efficiently and scaled as operational requirements evolve,” said Glen Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Volatus. “It validates the strength of our integrated model, which extends beyond aircraft delivery to include payload integration, training, sustainment and technical support. We are proud to help strengthen Canada’s sovereign capacity to field and support operationally relevant uncrewed systems.”
The Company’s growing Canadian manufacturing, integration and operational footprint, including its Innovation and Manufacturing Hub in Mirabel, Québec, and Operations Control Centre in Vaughan, Ontario, positions Volatus to support Canada’s objective of building a resilient domestic defence industrial base.
Beyond this contract, Volatus’ qualification across all five DDI streams enables the Company to compete for future requirements involving uncrewed systems, communications, engineering and integration, testing and training, and innovation and experimentation. Each future opportunity and award will remain subject to a separate Government of Canada procurement process.
Delivery of the initial tranche is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. The optional systems are not committed purchases, backlog or revenue. Any exercise of the options remains at the sole discretion of Canada and will be subject to applicable government requirements, approvals and contract amendments.
About Volatus Aerospace
Volatus Aerospace is a Canadian-headquartered global aerospace and defence company delivering intelligence and cargo solutions through piloted and remotely piloted aircraft systems. With operations, training programs and strategic partnerships spanning multiple continents, Volatus supports government, defence and commercial customers worldwide. The Company leverages advanced technologies, remote operations expertise and aviation experience to solve complex operational challenges in demanding environments.
Noah Note: Volatus takes an early win as one of the first four DDI suppliers. They don't specify a specific system, but I suspect that the company offered Monark for the requirement as it is the one that most neatly fits into the requirements.
Monark is a 3D-Printable, foldable quadrotor developed by ExhoTherm in collaboration with the Civil-Military Innovation Institute. It is a 3D-Printable system weighing 1.8kg, with a 430 mm motor-to-motor span and a payload capacity of up to 1KG. Volatus claims up to 42 minutes of flight time, though that figure was measured without a payload.
Top speed is 48 km/h with a maximum operating altitude of up to 2,500m. It runs on a 6S 10,000mAh Li-ion battery, with a datalink that operates between 1.3 and 2.6GHz. Monark maintains a range of around 5-20km depending on the radio fitted. The aircraft is rated for −20°C to +45°C and uses NDAA-compliant electronics.
There are a few things that raise an eyebrow for me. Mainly, as I know it, Monark from Volatus still uses the in-house Fermion camera, a system that I couldn't find whether it had Autofocus nor info on stabilization. It also doesn't use a Gimbal, which was heavily desired.
I'll have to reach out to the company and ask what system was offered. Monark fits, but it isn't necessarily perfect. It is designed to be cheap and easily printable, which is important considering the price tag attached to the RFP was a big constraint amd annoyance for many. You can't complain about a cheap system of you're asking for it to cost the technological equivalent of s fruit roll-up.
Again, I shall reach out and ask, and come back if I get anything. Either way it is a massive win for Volatus, whom has just inaugurated their new facility in Mirabel after a year of trying to slowly build out their own end-to-end supply chain. It isn't a massive contract, it isn't gonna be the last by far to come up, but an early win is something that will support their credibility as an actual supplier to the CAF.
It's a make or break, so to say. It's their biggest opportunity yet to show all the partnerships, investments, and work over the last year has produced a credible supplier instead of just hype. Obviously I want them to succeed. We need everyone to. They're a very nice and friendly team, whom are very outgoing. I of course give my faith and hope to them to take.
The gimbal is not just "highly desired", it is effectively mandatory to meet the threshold requiement for this program, in order to identify a human target at 600m. For that, you need a zoom camera, and then it must be stabilized.