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<\/p>\nCanadian technology will soon be detecting maritime evader vessels by their \u2018fingerprints\u2019 thanks to an Edmonton aerospace company and an infusion of federal investment.<\/p>\n
Edmonton\u2019s Wyvern Inc. uses hyperspectral imagery to go light years beyond what other satellite imagery can achieve.<\/p>\n
Wyvern\u2019s CEO and co-founder Christopher Robson described the ground-breaking technology Friday at the company\u2019s northwest Edmonton headquarters where $6 million in federal investment for defence-related firms in the region was announced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn maritime law enforcement and security, one of the things that you\u2019ll see a lot in the news today is about, for example, Russia\u2019s shadow fleet trying to evade oil sanctions,\u201d Robson said, citing vessels using hacks like disabling automatic identification systems, spoofing them to pretend to be someone else, and transferring oil and gas between ships.<\/p>\n
Wyvern designs, builds and operates instruments that fly on the company\u2019s satellites \u2014 and now they can uniquely identify ships at sea in ways that conventional sensors can\u2019t, Robson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that hyperspectral does, and something that we discovered, is that every ship has its own unique spectral signature. It\u2019s like a fingerprint, and so just like a fingerprint, you can associate that unique fingerprint with individual ships,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd by doing that, we can actually identify a ship from space regardless of whether or not they have their AIS on whether or not they\u2019ve done some other weird things to avoid detection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Satellite imagery, \u2018essential infrastructure\u2019<\/p>\n
While a standard satellite photo shows what something looks like, five satellites, for example, can show customers and partners from 30 countries incredible detailed imagery obtained from the bird\u2019s-eye view of space.<\/p>\n
Wavelengths of light reveal what an object is made of, can measure nitrogen in agricultural crops, and even determine wildfire risk \u2014 and environmental compliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cSatellite imagery is essential infrastructure. Governments rely on it to monitor borders, manage resources and respond to disasters. Canada has enormous territory, the longest coastline in the world, vast forests, Arctic sovereignty obligations \u2014 and space-based intelligence is how we keep track of it,\u201d Robson said.<\/p>\n
About $3 million in federal dollars will advance Wyvern\u2019s ship identification capability, accelerating data delivery and advancing next-generation sensor technology. It\u2019s an investment to strengthen Canada\u2019s defence readiness with dual-use infrastructure that benefits all Canadians, Robson said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Christopher Robson, CEO and co-founder of Wyvern, in Edmonton Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
$3M to establish defence centre at the U of A<\/p>\n
Another $3 million in federal dollars will establish Dual-use Ecosystem for Future Engineering National Defence and Sovereignty (DEFENDS) at the University of Alberta.<\/p>\n
The centre will help prairies-based companies test and design and bring defence technologies to market for defence and civilian applications, said Bill Flanagan, president and vice chancellor of the University of Alberta.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will help bridge a critical gap, moving innovation from research to real world deployment and ensuring Canadian ideas are developed, validated and scaled very carefully,\u201d said Flanagan, at Friday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlberta and the prairies more broadly, have enormous potential to contribute to Canada\u2019s defence ecosystem; we are home to some of the brightest minds in the country, and through programs like DEFENDS, we are creating a hub that brings together industry, researchers and government to unlock that potential, supporting military readiness while driving economic growth and job creation.\u201d<\/p>\n
It aligns with Canada\u2019s broader defence strategy, strengthening domestic supply chains, reducing reliance on foreign technologies, and building a more resilient and self-sufficient economy, he said.<\/p>\n
A broader shift recognizes technology is shaping the future, from an artificial intelligence to advanced materials to space-based systems \u2014 all increasingly dual-use in both civilian and defence applications, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada must be positioned not only to develop these technologies, but to deploy them strategically and securely,\u201d Flanagan said.<\/p>\n
Flanagan beamed as he showcased the Wyvern HQ, the machines at workstations around the large room that all started as a student club at the Faculty of Engineering, eventually becoming the first investment from the U of A\u2019s Innovation Fund.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Bill Flanagan, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta, in Edmonton Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
Millions part of Canada\u2019s GDP commitment<\/p>\n
The $6 million for Edmonton region defence projects came in the wake of Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s announcement that the country had met Canada\u2019s main defence investment target of 2 per cent of GDP for the first time. The funding reiterates a commitment to increase that investment to 5 per cent by 2035, said Edmonton Centre MP Eleanor Olszewski, the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent geopolitical events have really highlighted a fundamental truth: we\u2019re living in a more dangerous in a more uncertain world. Canada\u2019s government is focused on what we can control, and that means recognizing and acting on another fundamental truth, and that is that economic strength and national security go hand in hand,\u201d Olszewski, at the Friday news conference, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a changing time for us, and we can no longer rely on our neighbors the way that we used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII) will help businesses across the country scale up while strengthening Canada\u2019s new Defence Industrial Strategy, expected to help guide investments in the industry \u201cby equipping our Canadian Armed Forces, creating good jobs in the meantime, and also positioning Canadian firms to compete in a rapidly expanding global defence market,\u201d Olszewski said.<\/p>\n
Alberta\u2019s well-positioned to help lead and strengthen Canada\u2019s defence industrial base while building on long term economic growth, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are building a stronger Alberta, and a strong Alberta means a strong Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, the funding\u2019s expected to jumpstart 80 careers and help businesses compete globally, and strengthen Canada\u2019s domestic supply chains, building solutions to solve big challenges, Olszewski said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
(left to right) Junior mechanical engineer in training Brandon Hodge and optical engineer in training Elliot Saive work on a deployable optics prototype, an advanced hyper spectral imaging telescope system for satellites, in the Wyvern laboratory, in Edmonton Friday, March 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
CANDO boost for Indigenous pilot program<\/p>\n
The federal funding also provides $149,000 for the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) to launch an Indigenous defence supply chain pilot program.<\/p>\n
The program takes 30 Indigenous suppliers, putting them through a \u201csupply chain boot camp,\u201d teaching everything from security clearances, industrial technical benefit, and how Indigenous participation plans can be used.<\/p>\n
CANDO communications director Paul Macedo hailed the announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe prepare Indigenous suppliers and First Nations Indigenous communities to position themselves to really take advantage of the opportunity that\u2019s before us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When the group goes to CANSEC, Canada\u2019s leading defence event, in Ottawa this May, they\u2019ll have a full slate of meetings at the largest security and defence trade show, and they\u2019ll know how to connect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith PrairiesCan support, we\u2019re going to have a special focus on Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,\u201d Macedo said.<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
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