Aerospace developer out of Redcliff lands $2.6M federal drone grant

By Medicine Hat News on November 5, 2024.

@MedicineHatNews

A Redcliff-based aerospace developer has won a $2.6-million grant from the federal government to complete and commercial a drone model, along with money for other initiatives in the developing sector.

“The Alpine Swift, UVAD’s all-electric Uncrewed Aircraft Vehicle (UAV), has progressed significantly through the support of this program,” said David Birkett, president and CEO of UVAD Technologies Inc.

“Government support has also enabled southern Alberta to attract world leading experts in the UAV field, and UVAD is strategically positioned to build on this expertise. UVAD has grown exponentially since establishing our facility in Medicine Hat.

“Funding … through PrairiesCan and the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative is critically important to our efforts in developing and commercializing an industry-leading UAV on a global scale.”

The grants from Prairies Can were announced in Calgary by MP George Chahal, and total of $4.3 million that the department says will help support 330 small to mid-sized companies that operate in the sector, and support about 360 jobs.

In the same set of announcements, Sturgeon County, near Edmonton, was awarded $500,000 to develop an “ecosystem” map of resources for the aerospace and defence sector across the province.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology will receive $1.4 million to develop an aerospace composite materials laboratory,

Other awards went to the Alberta Aviation and Aerospace Council ($100,000) to host conferences for defence contractors in 2025 in Calgary and 2026 in Edmonton, and to Elevate Alberta ($186,000) to develop a mentorship program.

Chahal said the federal government is supporting a growing industry

“Alberta has a global reputation for excellence in aerospace and aviation thanks to the ingenuity, innovation and hard work of our small- and medium-sized businesses, innovators and talented workforce,” he said in a release.

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