Hamilton drone maker unbothered by Russia threats after Ukraine deal puts company in spotlight

The chief executive officer of a Hamilton drone manufacturer says threats from Russian officials won’t deter the company from building drones for Ukraine under a new partnership backed by the Canadian government.

“We take all threats to our security seriously,” said Katheron Intson, who’s also co-founder of Sentinel Research and Development. “But it really doesn’t change our plans at this point in time.”

The company was thrust into the international spotlight after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Wednesday condemned the arrangement, accusing Canada of acting like a “warmonger” and threatening to publish the address of the Ontario company involved.

Intson said Sentinel anticipated criticism from Russia, but was surprised by the rhetoric.

“I think any country that’s the aggressor, that attacks the sovereignty of another nation, calling our nation a warmonger is an interesting, head-scratching thought,” she said.

While Russia has threatened to reveal the company’s location, Intson said Sentinel already operates under security requirements established through Canada’s Controlled Goods Program.

“It’s true that Russia has published the addresses of drone factories around the world that are supplying Ukraine,” she said. “This is of course a possibility.”

At the same time, she said, the production facility tied to the Ukraine partnership has not yet been established.

“So if they find our address before we do, that will be very interesting.”

Canada supporting Ukraine on front lines

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launched Europe’s biggest conflict since the Second World War.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and the 2022 invasion has caused a rapid evolution in drone technology, which now accounts for most of the casualties in the ongoing conflict. Ukraine has used drones to hit targets deep inside Russia’s territory and far beyond the war’s front lines. But Russia has also wielded drones of its own to strike inside Ukraine.

Last month, Ottawa announced that Sentinel would partner with Ukrainian defence technology company Airlogix to manufacture drone systems in Canada for the Ukrainian army.

The agreement is meant to “accelerate the delivery of equipment urgently needed by the armed forces of Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression,” according to a May 29 federal government news release.

“This collaboration reflects our commitment to supporting Ukraine while driving economic growth and resilience here at home,” Defence Minister David McGuinty said in the release.

It said that since February 2022, Canada has committed more than $25.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including $8.5 billion in military support.

Intson said the company was approached earlier this year through the Department of National Defence and formally introduced to Airlogix shortly afterward.

Within months, the two companies had reached an agreement.

While she declined to provide operational details, Intson confirmed the drones produced under the arrangement will be destined for Ukraine’s front lines.

“Our main goal is to deliver everything that we promised on time,” she said. “Success would be hearing that Canadian-made drones were used successfully on the front line.”

‘Freedom is a flash in the pan’

Intson described Sentinel as a “manufacturing technology company with an aerospace angle.”

She said it works in “the fixed wing airframe space” and manufactures fixed-wing drones, an aircraft that resemble small airplanes rather than the quadcopter-style drones commonly used for photography and videography.

The company’s flagship drone, the ReKam, can travel more than 500 kilometres and be configured for a range of uses, Intson said.

“Everything from a decoy to surveillance to carrying munitions.”

As a family-run company, Intson said, Sentinel is rooted with a sentiment she says is shared by many Canadians — the importance of fighting for freedom.

“Freedom is a flash in the pan and I wish that it wasn’t.”

It especially hits close to her heart with her Estonian heritage.

She said anyone with an eastern European background would understand the importance of helping Ukraine in war efforts against Russia.

“It is a really terrible thing to lose your home.”

Intson said that with advances in drone technology fundamentally changing the battlefield, it’s important that Canada develops its own technology.

“Other nations will only treat us as good as our capabilities are,” she said. “I hope that standing up industrial capacity and being developers of this type of technology means that we never have to deploy it.

“But if we have to, we will be ready.”