A Medicine Hat, Alta.-based aerospace defence company has expanded its partnership with European aviation company Airbus to bring advanced drone simulation training to the Canadian market.
The news: Airbus Defence and Space Services announced the partnership with autonomous aircraft company Landing Zones Canada (LZC) earlier today at the UK’s Farnborough International Airshow. The partnership will see the two companies work together to advance simulation and training capabilities to prepare the Canadian Armed Forces and allies for “the complex, drone-heavy battlefields of today.” The strategic partnership includes an undisclosed investment from Airbus into LZC, and a slot on its board of directors.
From the source: “This strategic investment accelerates our world-leading threat emulation technologies focused on modern drone threats proliferating on today’s battlefields,” said Spence Fraser, founder and CEO of Landing Zones, in a press release. “We will provide highly realistic, large-scale simulation solutions for Canada and its allies.”
Following the thread: This investment is not the first time Airbus has partnered with LZC. In 2023, the two companies signed a cooperation agreement to design, develop and deploy remotely piloted aerial systems for live training. Today’s announcement broadens that longstanding partnership and serves to help Airbus meet its industrial spending requirements for its contract with the Canadian government to deliver military transport ships.
Under its agreement, LZC will also become a “dedicated representative” of Airbus Defence and Space Services within Canada.
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Final thought: Airbus’s partnership with LZC adds to the mounting evidence that defence is increasingly becoming a pillar of Alberta’s innovation economy. The announcement follows the launch of the Banff Capital Summit, which specifically identified space and defence as “right to win” industries and key areas of focus for Alberta’s startup and tech sectors. It also comes amid recent investment in defence-adjacent startups and in defence manufacturing in Alberta.
BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.
Feature image courtesy of Medicine Hat Talent Ambassador Program on LinkedIn.