What Canadian UAVs does

Canadian UAVs Inc. is a Calgary-based, privately held unmanned aviation company founded in 2015 that operates as a defence prime ISR contractor and commercial drone services provider. The company's core proprietary technology is the Sparrowhawk ground-based Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) radar system, which uses patented computer vision algorithms to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations; Sparrowhawk is the only DAA radar approved by both Transport Canada and the FAA for BVLOS and has accumulated over 50,000 operational hours. Complementing the radar is a Drone-in-a-Box autonomous aerial intelligence platform with climate-controlled docking stations, Tasker fleet management software ($50 USD/user/month), and the internally developed Whiskyjack fixed-wing UAV.

The company monetizes across four revenue streams: (1) hardware sales of Sparrowhawk at $180,000 MSRP and reselling third-party platforms (Lockheed Martin Indago, Textron Aerosonde, PDW C-100) for which it holds exclusive Canadian channel rights; (2) managed services including Radar-as-a-Service and Drone-in-a-Box deployment; (3) professional services for military ISR under DND standing offers and commercial sectors (pipeline monitoring for Suncor since 2017, environmental monitoring, confined space inspection); and (4) recurring software subscriptions through Tasker. Key certifications include the only Transport Canada BVLOS Delegation of Authority in Canada, a nationwide SFOC for BVLOS operations in Class G airspace up to 400 feet AGL, FCC Part 80/90, Controlled Goods Program handler status, and the first RCAF Temporary Approval to Operate for the Aerosonde 4.7 platform. Customer segments span defence and military (primary), energy and utilities (primary), law enforcement and public safety, mining and construction, and government and civil.

The business combines a regulatory moat (sole BVLOS delegation from Transport Canada), proprietary AI-enabled hardware (Sparrowhawk), and distribution rights to global defence primes, funded through a mix of government grants (TECTERRA, PrairiesCan $415,000, RDII $3 million), revenue from defence and energy customers, and most recently a strategic expansion into the National Capital Region (Ottawa, April 2026) and the United States via FAA-approved DFR programs. The company is 100% Canadian-owned, led by founder Sean Greenwood, and recognized in the Canadian Defence Review Top 100 Defence Companies list for 2025 and 2026.

Name

Canadian UAVs

Legal name

Canadian UAVs Inc.

Website

https://canadianuavs.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Canadian UAVs is a Calgary-based defence prime and commercial drone services provider that builds the Sparrowhawk DAA radar and Drone-in-a-Box platforms to enable BVLOS operations for the Canadian Department of National Defence, energy customers like Suncor, and public safety agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unmanned Aerial Systems Services

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Aircraft Manufacturing (336411)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Autonomous Aerial Platforms (IMABAMAC), Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH)

Keywords

• Unmanned aerial services
• Drone surveillance
• BVLOS operations
• Detect and avoid radar
• Intelligence reconnaissance

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. RPAS Services - Commercial: Provides commercial drone services including pipeline monitoring, wide area mapping, environmental monitoring, confined space inspections, and emergency response. Billed as fee-for-service managed operations.
2. RPAS Services - Military/Government: Defence prime ISR contractor providing unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services. COCO (Contractor Owned Contractor Operated) missions. Standing offer contracts with DND.
3. Sparrowhawk Radar Sales: Sale of Sparrowhawk detect-and-avoid radar systems. MSRP $180,000 with optional $18,000/year support subscription.
4. Radar-as-a-Service (RaaS): Turnkey Detect and Avoid capability provided as a service. Canadian UAVs installs and operates Sparrowhawk Radar at customer locations.
5. Drone-in-a-Box Services: Fully managed autonomous monitoring programs with aerial intelligence delivery. Reduces need for dispatching crews and reactive incident response.
6. Tasker Software Subscription: Fleet management software subscription at $50 USD per user per month, with student pricing at $25/month.
7. UAS Product Reselling: Reseller revenue from selling third-party UAS products (Lockheed Martin Indago, Textron Aerosonde, PDW C-100) and related software (VCSi, 3DTRM, Northstar) in Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Canadian UAVs provides turnkey unmanned aerial services and proprietary drone enablement technology to military, government, and commercial clients. The company operates as a defence prime ISR contractor (COCO missions under DND standing offers), delivers commercial drone services such as pipeline monitoring and wide-area mapping, and sells its proprietary Sparrowhawk ground-based detect-and-avoid radar and Tasker fleet management software. It also functions as the exclusive Canadian channel partner for Lockheed Martin Indago, Textron Aerosonde, and PDW C-100 UAS platforms.

Product overview

Canadian UAVs provides a comprehensive ecosystem for UAV integration into complex airspace, combining proprietary technology products with managed services and strategic reseller partnerships. The core product portfolio centers on Sparrowhawk Radar (ground-based detect and avoid system enabling BVLOS operations) and Tasker Fleet Management Software (drone logistics and fleet management platform), which work together to enable safe, compliant, and efficient drone operations. Canadian UAVs operates as both a technology provider and service company, offering Drone in a Box managed services for autonomous aerial intelligence, plus dedicated Military ISR services and Commercial Services including pipeline monitoring, environmental monitoring, and emergency response. The company serves as authorized Canadian reseller for Lockheed Martin Indago 4, Textron Systems Aerosonde, and PDW C-100 platforms, while also operating a Lockheed Martin Distribution and Service Centre. The product ecosystem is unified through regulatory expertise (only RPAS company with Transport Canada BVLOS delegation of authority), proprietary AI/ML capabilities for computer vision-based aircraft detection and anomaly identification, and end-to-end service delivery from program design through ongoing operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tasker: Web-based fleet management and logistics software for drone operations organizations
• Sparrowhawk

Products and services

• Sparrowhawk Radar Transport Canada and FAA-approved ground-based detect and avoid (DAA) radar system with ADS-B integration for small aircraft detection. Provides up to 12 NM (23 km) radius and 5,000 ft altitude coverage for BVLOS RPAS operations, with patented computer vision algorithms for aircraft extraction.
• Tasker Fleet Management Software Web-based fleet management and logistics software for drone operations organizations. Centralized hub for mission planning, client management, maintenance tracking, inventory, certifications, compliance, and reporting.
• Drone in a Box Fully managed autonomous drone deployment service using climate-controlled docking stations (-25°C to 55°C). Systems launch, fly, return, recharge, and relaunch without boots on the ground, with AI-driven change detection and 2,500 flights per year per box.
• Military Services Defence prime ISR contractor providing unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services including Contractor Owned Contractor Operated (COCO) missions under DND standing offer contracts.
• Commercial Services Commercial drone services including pipeline monitoring, wide area mapping, environmental monitoring, confined space inspections, and emergency response. Authorized for SAIL IV operations with nationwide SFOC.
• Radar-as-a-Service (RaaS) Turnkey Detect and Avoid capability providing Sparrowhawk radar installation, spectrum permits, equipment operation, and BVLOS support at customer locations. Complete DAA solution without capital equipment purchase.
• Lockheed Martin Distribution and Service Centre In-country sales, training, configuration management, and service support for Lockheed Martin UAS products. Provides VLOS and BVLOS training locations, order fulfillment, and servicing infrastructure for DND and government agencies.
• Lockheed Martin Indago 4 (Canadian Reseller) Man-packable tactical quadrotor purpose-built for special missions with 55+ minute flight time, 360-degree reconnaissance, automatic target recognition, and GPS-denied navigation. Resold by Canadian UAVs as authorized Canadian channel partner.
• Textron Systems Aerosonde (Canadian Channel Partner) Highly configurable maritime and land-based UAS with hybrid quadrotor VTOL technology, heavy fuel engine, multi-INT payloads, and communications relay. Resold in Canada by Canadian UAVs.
• PDW C-100 (Canadian Reseller) Portable, packable long-endurance sUAS with 74-minute flight time, ISR, payload delivery, network extension, and kinetic effects via swappable payloads. Blue-UAS approved and in service with US Army.
• UAS Operations Training Comprehensive UAS training aligned with NATO Standard ATP-3.3.8.1 covering operational airworthiness, airmanship, DAA systems, airspace integration, and ISR procedures for military and commercial operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 422.7 km² coverage with BVLOS vs 7.1 km² with VLOS
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• PDW (Performance Drone Works)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 27 May 2025Sole authorized Canadian reseller for C100 multi-mission drone platform. C100 is Blue UAS approved and in service with US Army.
• ARA RoboticsstrategicTechnology or Integration · 5 November 2024MOU to integrate ARA's cold-weather UAVs (ARA-405, ARA-408) with Sparrowhawk Radar and Tasker Fleet Management for BVLOS operations in northern mining and military applications.
• TerraSense AnalyticsstrategicTechnology or Integration · 28 May 2024Provided MIST (Multimodal Input Surveillance & Tracking) software integrated with Aerosonde operations at CFB Edmonton for real-time automatic target recognition and tracking.
• Canada's Ocean Supercluster & Innovate UKstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2024Led $1.2M Net-Zero BVLOS Drones for Oceans Project with UK partner Limosaero Limited. Focus on extending flight time and range of net-zero drones for ocean monitoring applications.
• Des Nedhe GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2023Landmark aerospace joint venture creating Datsa Dynamics - Indigenous-owned partnership combining Des Nedhe's industrial expertise with Canadian UAVs' BVLOS technology for energy sector drone services.
• Team Artemis Consortium (L3Harris, IAI)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2022Joined Team Artemis for Royal Canadian Air Force RPAS program. L3Harris as prime contractor with IAI's Heron TP platform. Provides engineering, logistics, and mission management expertise.
• Lockheed Martin Canada CDL SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 26 October 2021Reseller agreement making Canadian UAVs authorized reseller for Lockheed Martin's family of small UAS (Indago, Condor, Vector Hawk) and VCSi ground control station software. Integration partnership for Sparrowhawk radar with VCSi for complete airspace picture for BVLOS operations.
• 360iSRstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2021Joint offering of comprehensive UAS operations training aligned with NATO standards. Canadian UAVs provides BVLOS and DAA training; 360iSR provides ISR operator training. Most comprehensive UAS training globally.
• UniflystrategicTechnology or Integration · 19 October 2020Partnership for RPAS Traffic Management (RTM) Services Trials in Canada. SkySensus selected by Transport Canada and NAV CANADA for RTM trials.
• MicroPilot Inc.strategicTechnology or Integration · 6 October 2020Selected as autopilot provider for Whiskyjack fixed-wing UAV. Triple redundant MP21283X autopilot integrated with VCSi for BVLOS operations.
• Lockheed Martin CDL SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 17 December 2019MoU to integrate Sparrowhawk radar with VCSi ground control station software for complete airspace picture and situational awareness for BVLOS flights.
• Textron SystemscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive Canadian channel partner for Aerosonde family of UAS systems (Mk 4.7, Mk 4.8). Aerosonde has over 700,000 flight hours globally.
• Foremost UAS Test RangestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in SkySensus project. 700 square nautical miles of Class F Restricted airspace up to 18,000 feet ASL for BVLOS R&D and testing.
• Aerium AnalyticsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkySensus consortium partner providing data analytics and automation expertise for BVLOS operations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Textron Systems: Large US defense prime that owns the Aerosonde UAS family — a product Canadian UAVs resells. Textron is both a partner and an industry peer competing for defense ISR contracts.
• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: US defense prime with significant unmanned systems/drone business (target drones, MQM-178 Firejet, UTAP-22). Comparable as a defense ISR prime contractor competing for similar military UAS programs.
• Lockheed Martin (Procerus / Skunk Works): Canadian UAVs is an authorized Canadian reseller of Lockheed Martin's Indago/Condor/Vector Hawk UAS family and integrates Sparrowhawk with VCSi ground control. Lockheed is both a partner and a deep-pocketed competitor in defense UAS.

Direct peers

• Performance Drone Works (PDW): US maker of the C100 multi-mission drone (Blue UAS approved, in service with US Army). Canadian UAVs is its sole Canadian reseller, making PDW both a partner and a peer in small tactical military UAS.
• ARA Robotics: Canadian peer developing cold-weather UAVs (ARA-405, ARA-408) with active MOU partnership with Canadian UAVs to integrate Sparrowhawk + Tasker. Directly competes in the Canadian BVLOS UAV market.
• AeroVironment: US-based designer, manufacturer and operator of small unmanned aircraft systems for defense and commercial applications. Closely comparable as a defense ISR-focused UAS company with proprietary platforms and BVLOS-capable offerings.
• PrecisionHawk: US-based commercial drone services and analytics company serving energy, agriculture and infrastructure. Comparable as a commercial UAS services provider with overlapping enterprise customer use cases (pipeline monitoring, mapping).

Emerging players

• Shield AI: AI-native US defense tech company building autonomous UAS (V-BAT, Hivemind) for ISR missions. Comparable as an AI-enabled autonomous drone competitor pursuing military ISR contracts with similar customer profiles.
• Skydio: US autonomous drone manufacturer with strong commercial/public-safety positioning including Drone as First Responder programs. Directly comparable on the DFR use case where Canadian UAVs/Irving PD are active.
• Anduril Industries: US defense technology company building autonomous UAS (Ghost, Roadrunner) and counter-UAS / airspace awareness systems. Comparable as a fast-growing AI-native defense UAS competitor with DAA-adjacent capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@canadianuavs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-uavs

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian UAVs