A Croatia-based drone manufacturer says it plans to spend $150 million over the next five years to expand two production facilities in Canada, including a plant in Ottawa, to meet growing demand for its products.
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A Croatia-based drone manufacturer says it plans to spend $150 million over the next five years to expand two production facilities in Canada, including a plant in Ottawa, to meet growing demand for its products.
Orqa, which bills itself as Europe’s “leading drone technology company,” says its new partnership with Canadian drone manufacturer Remote Robotic Systems will see it invest tens of millions of dollars to expand RRS’s manufacturing plants in Ottawa and Mississauga. The companies say they hope to eventually produce 10,000 drones per month at the expanded facilities.
The firms say the deal is expected to create up to 100 new jobs by the end of next year. Under the agreement, Orqa will license some of its technology to RRS, which says it is Canada’s largest and fastest-growing drone Techprovider, and the firms will work together to develop new solutions that use AI and other leading technologies.
Orqa says RRS’s facilities in Ottawa and Toronto will form a New American manufacturing hub that will serve as a “primary export launchpad into the continent's broader defence and commercial market.”
Orqa chief commercial officer Ivan Jelusic said in a news release this week the agreement will create a “strategic framework for co-operation between RRS and Orqa to co-develop, manufacture, and commercialize advanced defence technologies” with a focus on uncrewed systems, counter-drone capabilities and AI integration.
“We are proud to be able to build these systems in Canada and work with Orqa to increase capabilities and act as a supply chain and software development partner, bringing Canadian IP to the world,” RRS chief executive Kevin Toderel said in the release.
49North lands $3.7M contract with General Atomics
Ottawa-based 49North has won a $3.7-million contract to design and build a shared database for Canada’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft System program, the company announced last month.
The wholly owned subsidiary of MDA Space was awarded the contract from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
The firm described the shared database as a “standardized, secure and networked system” designed for multinational operations to store, manage and distribute intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data.
The system is designed to enable allied nations to share, search and access sensor data in “near real-time,” the company said, “facilitating a common operating picture while maintaining individual national control over information.”
The new database is expected to be delivered by August 2027.
Founded earlier this year, 49North is part of Team SkyGuardian Canada, a group of defence companies that also includes General Atomics, CAE and L3Harris WESCAM. The group is working to deliver 11 CQ-9B Guardian aircraft to the Royal Canadian Air Force by 2028.
Also last month, 49North announced the U.S. Air Force has renewed a contract that will see the Ottawa firm provide Global Procedure Designer services, including operations support, help desk services and software sustainment, to the air force.
The company said the deal — which includes a base year plus four option years — could be worth up to US$43 million by the end of June 2031, with an initial fiscal 2026 funding obligation of about US$4.7 million.
Martello’s revenues fall 18% in fiscal 2026
Martello Technologies said its revenues declined 18 per cent in fiscal 2026 compared with the previous year.
The Kanata-based firm, which makes troubleshooting software for cloud-based business applications, reported revenues of $11.9 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026.
That’s down from $14.5 million a year earlier as Martello continues to phase out its Vantage DX products designed to improve the performance of Teams and other Microsoft 365 products and focuses on building its Mitel customer base and developing new artificial intelligence products.
Martello posted a net loss of $13 million, up from a loss of $5.7 million in fiscal 2025. The company attributed the increase largely to a $6-million impairment of intangible assets and right of use assets and one-time termination costs of $2.7 million.
The company had negative EBITDA of $10.2 million last fiscal year, compared with negative $2.2 million in fiscal 2025, which Martello attributed to the impairment of intangible assets and one-time employee termination costs associated with a recent restructuring effort.
"Management is focused on the continued strengthening of Martello's financial performance and generating positive operating cash flow,” CEO Jim Clark said in a news release last month.
“This focus, along with the company's commitment to growth in the Mitel performance analytics business and building Martello's next innovative solution, is expected to establish a strong foundation for profitable growth in the future.”
Martello announced last October that it was phasing out its Vantage products aimed at Microsoft users, a move it projected would lead to a 50 per cent reduction in its workforce.
Ottawa's Mindstride AI teams up with Rocket Doctor AI
Digital health-care company Rocket Doctor AI is partnering with Ottawa’s Mindstride AI to expand service to patients in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, the companies announced last month.
Under the agreement, physicians on Rocket Doctor will provide after-hours and overflow coverage for Mindstride patients, “helping ensure individuals can access medical care when they need it, even outside regular clinic hours or during periods of increased demand,” the firms said in a news release.
The agreement, which came into effect on June 15, will automatically renew for successive 12-month periods but can be terminated by either company with 30 days’ written notice prior to the renewal date.
Based in Ottawa, Mindstride delivers healthcare through a co-ordinated model that combines virtual and in-person care, including primary care, mental health services, preventative health support and access to specialist care.
The new partnership will give eligible Mindstride patients across Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia access to licensed physicians during evenings, weekends and periods of increased demand.
"Mindstride was created to reimagine health care through a more proactive, accessible and connected approach," the company’s co-founder and CEO, Rudi Asseer, said in a news release.
"Partnering with Rocket Doctor strengthens our ability to provide timely access to physician care while ensuring our patients remain connected to their broader health-care journey. This collaboration helps us deliver on our promise of making high-quality health care more accessible for the people and organizations we serve."
