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Volatus Aerospace Inc. plans to launch a dedicated innovation centre and drone manufacturing hub at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport to strengthen Canada’s domestic defence capabilities.
Located within the Mirabel Innovation Zone, the 200,000-square-foot facility is designed for high-volume serial production of Canadian-built drone platforms. This initiative aims to expand sovereign, NATO-aligned capacity to meet the growing requirements of the Canadian Armed Forces and international partners. The project is supported by Aéroports de Montréal and aligns with federal priorities to secure domestic supply chains and reinvest in national industrial resilience.
The hub will facilitate the manufacturing of proprietary Volatus systems alongside the licensed production of partner technologies. These operations will function within a secure domestic supply chain, ensuring full configuration control, quality assurance, and compliance with Canadian and allied export regulations.
Hubert Bolduc, President, Investissement Québec International, commented, “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.”
The expansion comes as the Canadian government increases its focus on uncrewed systems and domestic defence capability. In 2025, the federal government launched the Defence Investment Agency and committed $500 million in NATO-aligned support for Ukraine, while advancing various Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and Counter-UAS (C-UAS) programmes. As Canada moves toward a defence spending target of 2% of GDP, the demand for deployable, scalable drone solutions is expected to remain high.
Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace Inc, stated, “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. 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.”
Lynch added, “These actions confirm that demand for drone capability is accelerating across CAF and NATO missions. Mirabel positions Volatus to respond decisively with Canadian production, allied interoperability, and a secure supply chain.”
Based in Canada, Volatus Aerospace is a specialist in aerial intelligence and unmanned aircraft systems. The Mirabel facility marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to collaborate with provincial and federal partners to establish a robust manufacturing posture.
