By Scott Simmie
Area X.O has put the spotlight on its third facility with a clear emphasis on defence-related drone and robotics testing – and it’s very much related to Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy.
Area X.O Killaloe is located at an airport in the Ottawa Valley, and it held a defence-capabilities demonstration called RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator 2026 this week. It was heavily attended by senior officials from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Department of National Defence, and Canadian Joint Forces Command. The Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of Defence, was also in attendance.
About 20 companies, nearly all of them Canadian-owned, were invited to display and demonstrate technologies that will likely one day play a role in Canada’s defence. Indro Robotics was one of those companies. It is the third Area X.O site, with the first and largest the well-known technology hub and NATO DIANA Test Centre in Ottawa (where InDro has its R&D headquarters).
“This is how we help companies grow faster. Strengthen Canada’s sovereign capabilities. Create high-value jobs. Attract investment. And build a stronger, more resilient economy,” announced Sonya Shorey, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa and Area X.O in this post. Invest Ottawa owns and operates all Area X.O facilities.
“This work directly supports Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy and our evolving strategy for Canada’s Capital Region, Ottawa and Gatineau together, as a global defence innovation hub serving our country, Forces and Allies,” she added.
The August 11/12 gathering provided an opportunity for a cross-section of the Canadian military to observe, even operate, multiple types of drones, counter-UAS systems, ground robotics, and more. The location will allow for testing larger and more complex drone systems and robotics. And, unlike the original Area X.O, is not located near a major airport.
Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, released in February of this year, is the country’s response to a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape – and commits more than half a trillion dollars between now and 2035. Those funds have already started to flow: In July, Ottawa announced it would build a $30M military drone R&D facility in Mirabel, Quebec.
A significant portion of the DIS budget has been set aside to help accelerate Canadian-built and owned innovations – and reduce the reliance on traditional US military primes. The Ukraine conflict and even the recent US war with Iran have forever changed warfare with the heavy use of drones and other robotics on the battlefield.
“If you look at what’s happening in Ukraine, their uncrewed systems — the [updates to] coding that goes into it happen on a daily basis,” Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, who heads the military’s Joint Forces Command, told CBC News.
“…This is the kind of partnerships that we have to establish.”
Below: A portion of Sonya Shorey’s post
INDRO AND DUAL-PURPOSE
Many of the products InDro manufactures have dual-purpose capabilities, meaning they can be used for commercial/industrial applications, as well as for defensive purposes. Our drones and robots, for example, are involved in a partnership with Montreal software firm CHAAC Technologies to autonomously find, map – and potentially neutralise – the pernicious PFM-1 landmine. It’s a small, air-dropped butterfly-shaped device that is intended to maim. Children often make the tragic mistake of thinking they are toys.
Technology can prove tremendously helpful for those kinds of use-cases – as well as many other defence and sovereignty-related purposes. InDro Vice-President Peter King and Law Enforcement Consultant Brian Fentiman represented InDro at the event, showing two major new innovations we are developing.
The first is Talos, the world’s longest-range vehicle. The rugged hybrid uses a combination of batteries and a highly efficient diesel generator to operate up to 7,000 km on a single, 454-litre tank of fuel. Originally developed to be driven by a human operator, InDro is in the process of turning this vehicle into a remotely tele-operated (and autonomous) robot. The Talos uses standard NATO-compliant mounting systems, and can be rapidly transformed for any use-case, from surveillance and combat in hostile environments through to transporting wounded combatants or getting medical supplies into a disaster zone.
We were also providing a glimpse of technology related to our new, long-range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) drone. It can carry multiple sensors plus an additional payload and fly in weather conditions that would ground conventional aircraft. It’s also a hybrid fixed-wing design, meaning it’s capable of extraordinarily long missions.
Below: A look at the front end of Talos (R), the vehicle InDro is transforming into the world’s longest-range ground robot.
INDRO’S TAKE
We were pleased to see the unveiling of the new facility – and to be in the company of so many Canadian companies who are pushing the envelope of technology and defence. The event was a clear indicator of the emphasis the Federal Government is putting on the DIS, and the speed at which it hopes to advance the capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces with made-in-Canada solutions.
“It is indeed a changing world, and Canada is investing to keep pace with that change,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We congratulate Invest Ottawa and Area X.O and welcome the opportunities afforded by this facility. InDro is proud to be working on dual-use technologies we feel will be of benefit to the country, and to those who serve it.”
We look forward to testing our new innovations at the site, and will update you when that happens.