Volatus Aerospace to Launch Innovation Centre and Drone Manufacturing Hub at Mirabel to Strengthen Canada's Defence Readiness and Support NATO Allies
TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volatus Aerospace Inc. (TSXV: FLT; OTCQB: TAKOF; Frankfurt: A3DP5Y/ABB.F) (“Volatus” or the “Company”) a Canadian leader in aerial intelligence and unmanned aircraft systems, is pleased to announce today the plans to establish the Volatus Mirabel Innovation Centre and Drone Manufacturing Hub at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. This Made-in-Canada initiative will expand sovereign, NATO-aligned drone capacity, supporting the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and allied requirements while strengthening Canada’s industrial and defence resilience. The project directly aligns with recent Government of Canada priorities to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in domestic capability and secure supply chains.
Located within the Mirabel Innovation Zone, Volatus Aerospace will establish its operations inside a 200,000-square-foot advanced and secure manufacturing facility. With the support of Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), the facility is designed for scalability and efficiency, enabling serial production of Canadian-built drone platforms to meet the growing needs of domestic defence programmes and allied markets.
The Mirabel Manufacturing Hub will enable serial production of Volatus’ proprietary drone platforms as well as the licensed manufacture of partner systems to meet NATO-aligned requirements and Canadian end-use needs. The hub will operate through a secure, domestic supply chain with full configuration control, quality assurance, and export compliance under applicable Canadian and allied regulatory frameworks.
“Investissement Québec International is proud to support Volatus in establishing its innovation center in Mirabel, at the heart of Québec’s aerospace ecosystem. This announcement underscores the value of our efforts to attract and assist companies that actively contribute to the vitality of one of the most dynamic sectors of our economy,” said Hubert Bolduc, President, Investissement Québec International.
“By combining an Innovation Centre for rapid integration and qualification with a dedicated Manufacturing Hub for serial production, Mirabel will become our anchor for Canadian-made, defence-grade drones,” said Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace Inc. “Our focus is to accelerate readiness for CAF missions, ISR, maritime, Arctic, and base security, while ensuring interoperable capability for NATO partners and a resilient Canadian supply chain.”
Recent federal initiatives underscore Canada’s growing commitment to domestic defence capability and the strategic importance of uncrewed systems. In 2025, the Government of Canada launched the new Defence Investment Agency to streamline major procurements, pledged $500 million in NATO-aligned support for Ukraine, and advanced multiple RPAS and C-UAS programmes, including the Skyranger R70 donation and Halifax-class maritime UAS contracts. With defence spending now targeting 2% of GDP, Canada is signalling sustained demand for Made-in-Canada deployable drone solutions at scale.
“These actions confirm that demand for drone capability is accelerating across CAF and NATO missions,” added Lynch. “Mirabel positions Volatus to respond decisively with Canadian production, allied interoperability, and a secure supply chain.”
This announcement marks the first in a series as Volatus strengthens its domestic defence manufacturing posture and collaborates with federal and provincial partners to build sovereign, Made-in-Canada capability.
About Volatus Aerospace Inc.
With more than a century of combined aviation expertise, Volatus Aerospace delivers innovative aerial solutions for intelligence, surveillance, and cargo, utilizing both piloted and remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS/drones). Volatus provides a complete ecosystem of aerial services, including operations, equipment sales, training, and mission support, helping industries integrate aerial capabilities safely, efficiently, and sustainably.
Noah Note: Volatus has had quite the exciting year, heck, the last month has been a lot for them. They signed a Letter of Intent last month with VoltaXploreto secure a Canadian made supply of Lithium-Ion batteries.
This new facility is a welcomed addition to Canada's unmanned ecosystem. More capacity is always a good thing, and the location in a high-concentration area like Mirabel is a great choice.
I found the wording on licensed manufacturing also interesting. For those who might not know, Volatus primarily licenses most of their designs. A lot of their current line are products they either license or have acquired over the years.
They do produce their own designs, mind you, however the wording here makes it seem like the company is shopping for more designs to license in pursuit of future Canadian requirements.
Maybe some Ukrainian partnerships? At least one Ukrainian manufacturer was looking at setting up shop here. This might be an expedited route in the future for getting licensed designs produced in Canada.
Either way this is a great idea, and I am happy to see someone jumping on to built more foundational infrastructure. Good on Volatus!