Ontario Construction News staff writer
Volatus Aerospace, Inc., which in March 2021 announced it would be moving some of its operations to the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport employment lands, has formed an agreement to build up to 1,200 FIXAR VTOL drones at a new manufacturing facility.
This new agreement will reinforce the company’s investment in manufacturing space at the airport and lead to high-quality aerospace jobs in Simcoe County. Volatus will also be developing their other proprietary aircraft systems including the Velos and Vedette.
“We are thrilled that Volatus will be manufacturing these innovative drones right here in Simcoe County,” said Simcoe County Warden George Cornell. “With this development, it brings many possibilities to fruition and advances our plans to make the LSRA a key driver of our regional economy.”
The Volatus Aerospace Centre of Excellence was brought to the LSRA earlier this year with support through the County’s LSRA Aerospace Development Fund.
The initial investment was anticipated to generate 17-20 high paying jobs in the aerospace sector, and help to transform the LSRA into an economic and innovation hub, by encouraging further sector/industry development while enhancing talent attraction to Simcoe County.
Volatus Aerospace has accelerated their plans to grow their company’s labour force in the County of Simcoe, bringing approximately 20-25 high paying jobs in the community.
In addition to the Volatus Aerospace project, the ongoing investment in the LSRA strategic plan has supported the progression of the MediCA Park development and the Oro Station Automotive Innovation Park development, both adjacent developments to the LSRA that utilize airport services.
The county has completed the first phase of an investment of more than $3.5 million towards widening the LSRA runway from 100 ft to 150 ft, and other upgrades including LED high intensity runway lighting.
Widening is expected to be completed in summer 2021. Future phases of the airport’s expansion include a proposal to lengthen the runway from 6,001 ft. to 7,000 ft., which will allow for larger aircrafts to utilize the airport. The county continues to make other strategic investments to enhance airport operations and support the needs of key industries in the area.
“I am delighted to be joining Volatus Aerospace during such an exciting time,” stated Andy Buck, vice president for Volatus Flight Systems. “I look forward to introducing our proprietary systems to the market and helping grow our reach internationally. It’s rewarding to see so much investment in my hometown.”
FIXAR is a developer and manufacturer of integrated Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) aerial solutions for industrial uses.