Canada and Croatia Partner in $150M Sovereign Drone Manufacturing Deal

The five-year agreement, signed by Orqa CCO Ivan Jelusic and RRS CEO Kevin Toderel in the presence of Prime Ministers Mark Carney and Andrej Plenković, focuses on building sovereign drone ecosystems. An initial $20 million investment will expand RRS facilities in Ottawa and Toronto, with the companies projecting the creation of 100 high-value technology jobs by late 2027.

Beyond simple manufacturing, the deal leverages Orqa’s Defense Transformation Platform to integrate Canadian-made AI and counter-drone capabilities. The partners intend to scale production significantly, aiming for 1,000 systems per month by mid-2027 and a total output of 10,000 units monthly by 2029. This collaboration establishes RRS as Orqa’s primary North American manufacturing hub, tasked with supplying both the Canadian Armed Forces and broader allied markets with domestically produced, EU-compatible technology.