Canadian AI and unmanned aircraft systems firm Volatus Aerospace has announced plans to establish the Volatus Mirabel Innovation Centre and Drone Manufacturing Hub at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport.
Located within the Mirabel Innovation Zone, the hub will be built inside a 200,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility. The site is designed for scalability and efficiency to enable serial production of Canadian-built drone platforms for domestic defence programs and allied markets.
The manufacturing hub will enable serial production of Volatus’ proprietary drone platforms as well as licensed manufacture of partner systems to meet NATO-aligned requirements and Canadian end-use needs. The facility will operate through a secure domestic supply chain with full configuration control, quality assurance, and export compliance under Canadian and allied regulatory frameworks.
“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. “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.”
The initiative aligns with recent Government of Canada priorities to rebuild domestic capability and secure supply chains. In 2025, the Canadian government launched the Defence Investment Agency to streamline major procurements, pledged $500 million in NATO-aligned support for Ukraine, and advanced multiple remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and counter-UAS programmes. With defence spending now targeting 2% of GDP, sustained demand for Canadian-made deployable drone solutions is expected.
Volatus makes heavy-lift delivery drones like the Condor XL, tactical surveillance drones such as the ARES and other ISR systems for military and government use, and commercial delivery drones like the Canary and PRISM. The company provides operations, equipment sales, training, and mission support services to help industries integrate aerial capabilities.
