Calian Group has signed a deal to form a partnership with Ukrainian technology and defence company SkyFall that will focus on drone-enabled defence training.
The partnership will see SkyFall and Calian develop unmanned systems training and education programs for armed forces in Canada and the United Kingdom, other NATO members and allied countries.
Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.
The deal is a sign that Calian intends to keep expanding its footprint in Europe as NATO countries boost defence spending and step up the use of drones and other unmanned systems.
The Kanata-based firm has been steadily increasing its European presence, a push that began with its acquisition of German satellite communications company SatService in 2019.
Calian has since acquired several companies based in Norway and the United Kingdom that provide military training. Last month, the firm announced its U.K. subsidiary signed a new 15-year agreement to supply training services to the British Army once its current deal expires at the end of September.
In a conference call with analysts in August, CEO Patrick Houston said growing its defence customer base across the Atlantic will be a major priority for Calian in the years ahead as NATO countries beef up their military arsenals amid ongoing geopolitical turmoil in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Certainly we’re building on momentum there and certainly the defence spending pace that we’ve seen in Europe, I don’t think is going to slow down in the next couple of years,” Houston said. “We’re trying to position ourselves to respond to that.”
Houston said Calian’s training systems must evolve as the pace of technological change accelerates.
“Learning directly from SkyFall’s experience in Ukraine will strengthen the expertise of our instructors and help ensure military personnel are prepared for the realities of modern operations,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Canada will work with Ukraine to produce millions of drones for the Canadian military.
SkyFall Academy is a training centre certified by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence that specializes in unmanned systems training.
It has trained more than 30,000 Ukrainian military personnel over the past three years.
— With files from OBJ staff
