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Two Canadian uncrewed vessel makers are joining forces to put high-speed and long-endurance sea drones on the same operating picture.
Driving the news: ENVGO and Open Ocean Robotics signed a memorandum of understanding at DEFSEC Atlantic in Halifax on Oct. 7 to bring ENVGO's hydrofoiling uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) into Open Ocean's XplorerView command-and-control platform.
Why it matters:
The Royal Canadian Navy is starting to test uncrewed technologies across maritime domains as it moves toward a hybrid fleet.
Pairing sprint-capable and persistent drones could extend surveillance across Canada's coastlines and Arctic approaches without adding crew or large ships.
Both firms are pitching the deal as a sovereign, made-in-Canada option at a time when Ottawa is prioritizing domestic defence suppliers.
By the numbers:
25 knots: top hydrofoil speed of ENVGO's XV2 micro-USV
68 kg: XV2's weight in a 2.0-metre hull, deployable by one person
13,000+: operational hours logged by Open Ocean's solar-powered DataXplorer USVs across three ocean basins
30+ days: longest continuous DataXplorer deployments, in conditions up to Sea State 7
How it works: XplorerView will serve as a common operating environment for both fleets. Operators can plan missions, monitor vessel health and fuse AIS, radar, camera and navigation data in one place.
XV2 sprints to an area on its foils, then drops into a low-signature loiter mode for ISR.
DataXplorer runs on solar power with satellite comms and AI-enabled detection, no crew or fuel required.
What they're saying: "Canada's maritime future will be hybrid, with crewed ships supported by distributed uncrewed systems," said ENVGO CEO and chair Mike Peasgood.
Open Ocean CEO Julie Angus said modern maritime security "depends on interoperability, a system of systems approach."
Yes, but: This is an MOU, not a contract. The companies say they will still jointly define integration milestones, interfaces and demonstration objectives, and no timeline or funding was disclosed.
Between the lines: ENVGO is run by the team behind Aeryon Labs, whose SkyRanger drone was deployed in more than 35 countries. XV2 went from concept to in-water trials in under six months.
Open Ocean, founded in 2018, is headquartered in Victoria with operations in Halifax.
Bottom line: Two Canadian firms are betting the navy will want a mix of fast and enduring sea drones run from one screen. The demos will show whether the integration delivers.
