Calian Unleashes $100 Million Investment to Boost Canada’s C5ISRT Defense Advancements
This strategic investment, spearheaded by Calian VENTURES, aims to enhance partner accessibility to a network of regional development labs, promoting sovereignty, security, and modern operational readiness.
OTTAWA, ON – January 26, 2026 – In light of the evolving global security landscape and the increasing demands on Canada’s defence and Arctic sovereignty, Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY), a leading provider of mission-critical solutions in defence, space, healthcare, and other strategic infrastructure sectors, has unveiled a strategic initiative to expedite the development and deployment of sovereign C5ISRT capabilities through Calian VENTURES, Canada’s key defence innovation orchestrator.
With Canada prioritizing sovereign defence capabilities, operational readiness, and long-term resilience, Calian is committed to advancing technology collaboration and mobilizing funding for capability development across the nation. This funding will be sourced from various channels, including capital investments from VENTURES, collaborative development of new intellectual property alongside multiple Canadian small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs), contributions from regional investment agencies, and federal initiatives.
The initial initiative will establish a national, sea-to-sea-to-sea network of regional development labs. This framework is designed to facilitate the testing, validation, and scaling of defence technologies developed through VENTURES. These labs will bring together SMEs, the Canadian Armed Forces, NATO, government entities, academia, and industry partners to foster innovative and interoperable solutions from concept to operational capability.
By granting VENTURES partners and defence primes access to shared infrastructure, technical expertise, and integration pathways, Calian and its partners aim to expedite Canada’s progress toward its defence objectives—strengthening Arctic sovereignty, enhancing national security on a larger scale, and modernizing the Canadian Armed Forces.
“Canada is navigating a fundamentally different security environment, and addressing these challenges necessitates sustained investment, trusted partnerships, and long-term commitment,” stated Patrick Houston, Chief Executive Officer of Calian. “This investment demonstrates Calian’s confidence in the future of Canada’s defence and our responsibility as a Canadian enterprise to fortify sovereignty and strengthen the Canadian defence industrial base.”
Understanding C5ISRT
C5ISRT—Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting—charters the modern defence architecture essential for effective operation in today’s contested multi-domain environment. Distinct from traditional C4ISR approaches, C5ISRT encompasses cyber and targeting as core operational functions, facilitating quicker decision-making, tighter sensor-to-effect integration, and resilient operations across land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains.
“C5ISRT isn’t a distant concept. It’s an operational necessity on today’s battlefield, critical for Canada to assert a genuinely sovereign capability,” remarked Chris Pogue, President of Defence and Space at Calian. “Achieving mission success now hinges on the ability to integrate data, systems, and personnel across domains, along with rapid sensing, decision-making, and action. Through this investment, we are scaling the environments, integration pathways, and partnerships required to transform innovation into operational capability, ensuring Canada retains trusted, sovereign control over its defence data and systems.”
Calian’s Role as a Leader in Canada’s C5ISRT Landscape
With over 40 years of experience in supporting defence customers, Calian boasts unparalleled expertise in integrating personnel, systems, and operations across various domains. Our capabilities encompass synthetic training, cybersecurity, space and satellite communications, systems engineering, and secure-by-design C5ISRT architectures, supported by Canadian-based manufacturing of GNSS and antennas that bolster sovereign supply and the long-term sustainment of Canadian defence capabilities.
Calian’s workforce, composed of hundreds of engineers and software developers—including numerous veterans who comprehend the realities of modern conflict—has consistently delivered mission-critical capabilities where failure is not an option. This experience, combined with VENTURES’ innovation orchestration model, positions Calian to spearhead Canada’s transition from outdated defence systems to a fully integrated C5ISRT future.
