Volatus Aerospace (FLT) 20th International Investment Forum (IIF) summary

Platform and operating model

• Operates more than 90 unmanned and approximately 28 manned aircraft across intelligence, inspection, and other missions.

• Combines aircraft, autonomy, manufacturing, mission systems, training, and regulatory capabilities in a lifecycle model spanning equipment, services, data, and sustainment.

• Conducts up to 12 daily drone flights from Edmonton International Airport, remotely piloted from Toronto; cited remote-operation experience as a defense advantage.

• Service priorities include oil and gas inspection, utility transmission and power lines, critical infrastructure, and cargo inspection and delivery.

Defense demand and contracts

• Canada’s defense spending reached 2% of GDP in 2025, up from 1.3% in 2024; the government committed to 5% by 2035, representing CAD 50 billion in incremental defense spending.

• Cited a CAD 81.6 billion investment opportunity and qualification across all five streams of Canada’s Defence Drone Initiative; a Canadian government contract is worth up to CAD 25 million.

• Backlog exceeds CAD 100 million for execution over the next five years, including up to CAD 30 million in defense backorders; the unfactored sales pipeline exceeds CAD 500 million.

• Management expects at least a dozen additional RFQs over coming quarters and months; bids include Precision Strike, Counter-UAS, and FPV drone categories.

• A CAD 9 million contract win was confirmed last year, with the first CAD 4.5 million tranche being fulfilled; management expects allied defense investment to continue over the next decade.

Technology and manufacturing

• The 53,000 sq. ft. Mirabel manufacturing facility became operational in Q2 and was officially opened on September 29; drone production and assembly are underway.

• V-Cortex AI is being developed as a drone-agnostic autonomy and control layer; a proprietary 3.5 cm by 3.5 cm flight controller is planned for scaling and integration with third-party platforms.

• SKYDRA, a mission-planning and war-gaming platform, is being commercialized; it was reported to work in GNSS-denied environments without complex compute.

• Counter-UAS technology is in development, with software-based target elimination planned by mid-2027.

• A 200 kg-class cargo drone with 180 kg payload and 200 km range is being tested; heavy-lift applications target inspection and infrastructure maintenance rather than urban parcel delivery.