Habib Irani of INKAS Aerospace & Defence testing and demonstrating the UGV at the R&D facility on Aug. 8, 2025.Courtesy of manufacturer
Canadian company INKAS Aerospace & Defense is expanding its horizons with the coming launch of a new armoured vehicle in response to Ottawa’s call for better collaboration with European and NATO allies, but it says the government must become a better industry partner if it wants companies to succeed in this diversified environment.
The Toronto-headquartered company is getting ready to show French Ambassador Michel Miraillet the M1 armoured vehicle, which was built through a partnership between the two countries, in May.
The NATO-compliant vehicle is the latest example of the company’s efforts to enter new markets with European and NATO allies, in direct response to the federal government’s call to diversify away from the United States.
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“We’re trying to be good Canadians, we’re trying to open up new markets,” the company’s chief security officer Andy Ellis said.
INKAS Aerospace & Defense is part of a larger group of companies under the INKAS name, which was founded in 1995. It has grown to include armoured vehicle manufacturing, aerospace and defence operations, and payment solutions among other divisions. It employs more than 350 people and has offices in Canada, the U.S. and Ukraine.
As the company tries to meet the federal government’s trade diversification goals, it’s calling on Ottawa to bring industry into the procurement process earlier than it has in the past.
“We’ve had a tradition in this country to move at a snail’s pace to make decisions,” Mr. Ellis said, referencing the saga of Canada’s fifth generation fighter-jet procurement, which began about 10 years ago. An ongoing review of that process to buy 88 F-35 jets from U.S. company Lockheed Martin was ordered in March, 2025.
Mr. Ellis said taxpayers are investing a lot as the country ramps up its defence commitment.
“Let’s make that defence spending smart and use it as an opportunity to monetize it for exports and trade to balance that investment, so that we get a return in jobs, opportunity and building the economy.”
Mr. Ellis said if the government worked with industry early on in the procurement process it would be beneficial for both parties.
For example, when INKAS worked with American special forces to design an armoured vehicle, they were able to collaborate at the outset, designing the nuances of the military requirements instead of fixing them later, he said.
The benefits of this model are clear, Mr. Ellis said. It can be something as small as “moving the cup holder from the right side to the left side because that’s where my weapon has to be.”
Partnering earlier on with industry is something the federal government emphasized in its Defence Industrial Strategy, which was released in February. For example, it announced its intention to pick Canadian “champions” or companies it will bolster with special supports, such as directed procurement and joint development activities.
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It’s also reforming defence procurement and increasing its presence at defence conferences across the country, setting up an entire government pavilion at the recent Defence Aerospace and Security Exhibition of Western Canada conference in Calgary to speak with industry directly about opportunities.
This engagement is promising, Mr. Ellis said.
Habib Irani, product and business development manager at INKAS Aerospace & Defense, said the government needs to interact more with Canadian companies.
This means thinking along the lines of, “What do we have locally? What are the capabilities?” he said. And then, he added, asking industry to come in and present to government stakeholders.
While many armoured vehicles are built on the frames of disassembled civilian and commercial vehicles, INKAS’ M1 model is built using French defence company Texelis’ military-grade chassis to make it more suitable for combat.
Mr. Irani said the company is hoping to attract both orders and support from Ottawa as it seeks to export the vehicle to other NATO allies and expand its reach in the European market.