Montreal drone manufacturer that designs and builds uncrewed aerial systems for military ISR and industrial surveying, running on its own SKYMATE flight controller and SKYCONTROL ground-control and mission software.
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Montreal drone manufacturer that designs and builds uncrewed aerial systems for military ISR and industrial surveying, running on its own SKYMATE flight controller and SKYCONTROL ground-control and mission software.
Registered as ARA Robotique Inc., a Québec corporation (NEQ 1170361159) incorporated 2014-09-17, status Active, with its registered office in Montréal. ised-isde.canada.ca
National Defence awarded an IDEaS grant for "Shadow Warden", ruggedized autonomous UAS and a docking system for Arctic defence, under the NORAD Modernization challenge. search.open.canada.ca
La Presse reported in April 2026 that ARA signed a production agreement with the Canadian Armed Forces in 2024. No federal record labelled as that agreement was found. lapresse.ca
States that it is certified under the Controlled Goods Program and that its SKYMATE flight controller hardware and firmware are fully proprietary. ara-uas.com
Says it joined the NORTHERN UxV Consortium as a founding member (June 2026), with five other Canadian companies working on autonomous capabilities for the CAF and NATO allies. ara-uas.com
Manufactures its own uncrewed aircraft line - ARA405, ARA408 and the ARA409 target drone - with the SKYMATE flight controller and SKYCONTROL ground-control software. ara-uas.com
States its SKYMATE flight-controller hardware and firmware are "fully proprietary", and claims Transport Canada 922.04 compliance and Controlled Goods Program certification. ara-uas.com
Independently confirmed as one of nine SMEs in the Uncrewed Systems Defence Innovation Secure Hub at Mirabel, announced July 2026. The $29.6 million is the hub's two-year envelope, not ARA's. darit.tech
Received $2.1 million from the Government of Quebec for the RECON RPAS programme in May 2024. The $415 million in that announcement is the provincial aerospace-zone envelope, not ARA's. ara-uas.com
A further Quebec award of nearly $8.8 million in July 2025 was made jointly to ARA and Laflamme Aero. ARA's share is not stated, so no amount is recorded for it here. ara-uas.com
Products ARA Robotics publishes on its own site. Each card links to the page it was taken from.
Tactical drone
Company drone built for harsh environments and tactical response, rated for -40°C to 50°C, with RTK/PPK and dual-RTK support and an AI module that detects and tracks objects and overlays mission data on the live video feed.
Learn moreDrone autopilot
Commercial-grade flight controller designed and built in Canada, with factory-calibrated IMUs, BVLOS functions and STANAG 4586 compatibility; the company says it has been integrated into aircraft worldwide since 2015.
Learn moreGround control and mission software
In-house ground-control software and mission-control platform for coordinating multiple UAVs, with adaptive geofencing and an EO/IR, thermal and laser-rangefinder video overlay.
Learn morePublicly announced partnerships.
Strategic partnership announced May 2026 combining ARA's uncrewed aerial systems with Marconi's secure communications and mission-critical systems for defence, security and critical infrastructure.
Strategic partnership announced May 2026 to integrate Balko's modular LiDAR and geospatial sensors with the ARA405 uncrewed aerial platform.
Memorandum of understanding announced November 2024. An MoU, not an executed contract.
Government support actually received. Unpublished amounts are left out.
National Defence contract W7714-207245/001/SV1 for science and technology R&D, competitively sourced — defence contract
Innovative Solutions Canada Testing Stream, ISED (tested by National Research Council Canada; contract 9203552101, total after amendment) — testing-stream contract
National Defence contract CW2386165 for measuring and controlling equipment, competitively sourced — defence contract
National Defence contract W8486-250040/001/QD for aircraft parts, non-competitive on exclusive rights — procurement contract
Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS), National Defence — "Shadow Warden" Arctic autonomous UAS and docking system — grant
Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS), National Defence — Drone Surge challenge, "Canadian Skyforge" — grant
Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS), National Defence — Drone Surge challenge, "Canadian Skyforge" — contribution
Industrial Research Assistance Program, National Research Council Canada — autonomous multi-drone ISR system — contribution
Regional Tariff Response Initiative, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions — non-repayable contribution
Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI), Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions — repayable contribution
ARA Robotics said its project Canadian Skyforge: Building Canada’s Low-Cost Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Ecosystem was selected for Round 3 of the Drone Surge Challenge, a National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces initiative to strengthen domestic drone manufacturing.
Terms the company uses about its own work.
Other companies in Defence.
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