Strix Announcement | Sixth wave of INSAT projects

Strix is launching its sixth wave of innovative research projects totaling nearly $117M through the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT) program.

Ottawa, Ontario – October 28, 2026 – Strix, the organization managing the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT), is thrilled to announce its latest innovative research projects that are helping decarbonize the aerospace industry and the aviation sector through new technologies.

This new wave of projects, led by industrial and academic partners, represents contributions of $24M from the Government of Canada via the Strategic Response Fund (SRF) program for projects with a total project value of $117M.

Advancing Beyond Key Milestones

With the total value of supported projects now surpassing $450M, the INSAT program continues to demonstrate its growing impact on Canada’s aerospace ecosystem. This achievement underscores the success of this program in accelerating aerospace innovation and delivering meaningful support to Canadian industry. As we continue to expand this impact, we are pleased to announce a new wave of innovative projects that will help strengthen Canada’s aerospace and defence ecosystem while creating new opportunities for growth, sustainability, and competitiveness.

“The sixth wave of INSAT projects demonstrates the strength of collaboration across Canada’s aerospace ecosystem. By bringing together industry, research institutions and innovators, these projects will advance technologies that support a more sustainable aviation sector while helping Canadian companies grow, commercialize new solutions and compete globally. As INSAT surpasses another major milestone, we are proud to support projects that are creating opportunities, strengthening industrial capabilities, and positioning Canada at the forefront of aerospace innovation,” stated Carlos Leitão, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry.

“More than ever, our new projects demonstrate the concrete progress being made toward a new generation of aviation, one that is more innovative and sustainable. Over the past year, we have placed an even stronger focus on SMEs, and the projects announced today show that INSAT can also be an effective vehicle for supporting smaller scale initiatives, while advancing innovations that can have a significant impact on the future of aviation,” declared Michel Dion, CEO of Strix.

Innovative Research Projects  

Below, we present the projects supported in this sixth announcement.

Emission Reduction through Landing Gear for Transonic Laminar Flow Aircraft

$4.3M INSAT contribution on a $47.1M project value

Collaborators: Mecaer America Inc. (Quebec), M1 Composites Technology Inc. (Quebec)

Otto Aviation’s revolutionary Phantom aircraft has the potential for a 60% fuel burn reduction through transonic laminar flow (LF) geometry and resultant “cycling effects”, scalable to single-aisle jets. However, traditional landing gear systems and doors could negate ~10% of gains due to drag and weight. Mecaer America Inc. and M1 Composites Technology Inc. will address these gaps by developing a bespoke landing gear system and composite doors. Key innovations include: 101-degree nose gear retraction to eliminate a potential nose blister; novel over-center kinematics for compact packaging; advanced seals to prevent LF tripping; and faired main landing gear with lightweight, mechanically linked doors. These enable Part 23 certification while avoiding heavier systems common to Part 25 aircraft. Flight tests on Otto’s Flight Test Vehicle (FTV1) will validate the system, demonstrate the potential for laminar flow, and open the door for scalability to regional jets and larger commercial aircraft.

Cessna 172 Rotax Engine Conversion Prototype

$552K INSAT contribution on a $1.5M project value

Collaborators: Sealand Aviation Ltd. (British Columbia), EntAir Inc. (Ontario)

This project will develop, integrate, and validate a prototype legacy Cessna 172 training aircraft retrofit with the modern Rotax 916iS engine; an advanced, fuel-injected, turbocharged powerplant with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The engine runs on unleaded gasoline and ethanol-blended automotive fuel. The conversion will reduce the aircraft’s fuel consumption by up to 30%, eliminate lead emissions entirely, and substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions and noise output, while maintaining or improving flight performance and reliability. This prototype serves as the foundation to adopt innovation that supports a more environmentally conscious future.

Paradigm shift in the design & industrialization of future Major Structural Composites Assemblies 

$903K INSAT contribution on a $2.5M project value

Collaborators: ATHENA Technolo-G INC. (Quebec), Structures de Composites Avancées ACS Inc. (Quebec)

ATHENA Technolo-G and ACS Composites are launching a two-year development program to demonstrate two complementary innovations in composites aerostructure design & manufacturing: ACS’s out-of-autoclave pressurized tooling technology and ATHENA’s mechanically locked multi-shell structural architecture. The project will produce three prototype fuselage sections representative of a small business jet. One section is currently being manufactured by an outside supplier using a conventional monolithic composites design, a second one will be manufactured using a hybrid monolithic/sandwich composites design while the third one will incorporate ATHENA’s multi-shell configuration. The program includes full-scale fabrication, static testing, and a comprehensive fatigue-testing campaign equivalent to three service lifetimes. Together, these technologies aim to significantly reduce design and manufacturing time & costs, part count, energy consumption, and assembly complexity while improving structural performance and resilience. Beyond aircraft fuselages, the technologies have potential applications in wings, empennages, rocket structures, nacelles, submarine hulls, and advanced unmanned aerial vehicles. The project will generate validated performance data, physical demonstrators, and intellectual property that will support commercialization and future certification pathways.

Drone Transport Initiative

$3.2M INSAT contribution on an $8.8M project value

Collaborators: University of British Columbia (British Columbia), InDro Robotics (British Columbia)

The Drone Transport Initiative is a cutting-edge project exploring how drones can be used to deliver medical supplies to rural, remote and Indigenous communities, helping to overcome long distances and geographic barriers to timely health care. A partnership between the University of British Columbia, rural and Indigenous communities, health care providers, drone experts and industry partners including InDro Robotics, the project will develop and test a safe, reliable and scalable model for medical drone delivery. Building on successful short-range flights between a community pharmacy and a rural First Nation, the initiative is now expanding to longer-range, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights across Northern B.C.’s unique and rugged environment. Using drones with greater range and payload capacity, along with advanced autonomous flight technology, the initiative will create a robust medical drone delivery network that can transport supplies between airports, health facilities and communities — and ultimately directly to patients — to improve equitable access to essential health care in rural and remote B.C. and across Canada.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Aircraft Propulsion

$3.7M INSAT contribution on a $10.6M project value

Collaborators: The University of British Columbia (British Columbia), Unilia (Canada) Fuel Cells Inc. (British Columbia)

Hydrogen fuel cells offer a promising pathway for decarbonizing commercial aviation, but existing fuel cell stacks are not designed for use in aircraft propulsion systems. To advance Canada’s sustainable aviation technologies, Unilia will work with UBC Okanagan to develop hydrogen fuel cells tailored for aircraft propulsion systems, eliminating the carbon emissions associated with combustion engines. The project will focus on identifying optimal fuel cell/battery hybrid configurations to meet key aviation performance requirements, and on establishing the design feasibility of the supporting fuel cell systems, materials, and manufacturing processes. The team will develop lightweight, high-efficiency fuel cells with lower fuel consumption that can operate at zero humidity and high temperatures, increasing the system’s ability to reject heat and minimizing overall operating costs.  These goals will guide the design of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and stacks for aviation-specific fuel cells.  Ultimately, these advancements will enable hybrid propulsion systems with an advanced fuel cell stack, supporting the decarbonization of short- to medium-range commercial aircraft.

Scaling Mostavio Inc’s eVTOL from Prototype to Certifiable Aircraft

$4.3M INSAT contribution on a $12.5M project value

Collaborators: Mostavio Inc. (Ontario), Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology (Ontario)

This project will advance Mostavio Inc’s electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 to TRL 7, a full-scale, integrated prototype demonstrated in a relevant operational environment. Achieving TRL 7 enables entry into the pre-certification phase and sets the foundation for commercial readiness. While Mostavio Inc has developed and flown a proof-of-concept prototype, Canada currently lacks both the technical and regulatory infrastructure needed to transition such aircraft toward certification. This project addresses that national gap by identifying the performance, safety, and systems-level advancements needed to meet certifiable eVTOL standards. The project pursues FAA MOSAIC Sport Light certification as the primary pathway, with Transport Canada certification as a parallel track, derisking the program against any single regulator’s timeline. Led by Mostavio Inc, with Centennial College providing flight test facilities and training support, the project aligns with INSAT’s pillars in Aircraft Architectures & Systems and Infrastructure & Operations. It advances zero-emission aviation, supports Canada’s net-zero goals, and positions the country as a leader in the $1 trillion global urban air mobility market.

Maturity of New Autonomy Technologies – MANTA

$7.2M INSAT contribution on a $34M project value

Collaborators: Bombardier Inc. (Quebec), Thales Canada Inc. (Quebec), Mannarino Systèmes & Logiciels, Inc. (Quebec)

The MANTA project brings together Canadian expertise in integrated avionics, aircraft systems, simulation, and safety-critical software to develop the next generation of autonomy-ready avionics. These technologies will support emerging aircraft platforms, including advanced air mobility vehicles, drones, and innovative designs such as blended-wing body (BWB) aircraft. Through rigorous testing and validation, MANTA will help increase cockpit automation and operational efficiency while supporting the industry’s long-term sustainability goals. The project will also advance the software foundations, developing multicore operating systems, needed to power more sophisticated aircraft systems, ensuring they can operate safely and reliably as computing demands continue to grow.

About Strix

Strix is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting innovation and collaborative research in the Canadian aerospace industry and related sectors. We aim to position Canada as the global leader in aerospace and defence innovation by fostering multi-sectoral collaboration and access to resources — driving sustainable development and integration of technologies and platforms of the future.

About INSAT

The Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT) is a national program dedicated to promoting innovation and sustainability in the aerospace sector. By bringing together experts from various fields, INSAT works to develop advanced technological solutions for a greener and more responsible aviation future.