As a partner of the Best Defence Conference (Oct. 21–22, 2025), Vanguard is proud to showcase innovators in aerospace, defence, and public safety.
Kitchener, ON
Khanjan Desai, CEO
Alchemy is a Canadian nanotechnology company developing advanced materials for the automotive and defence industries.
Our Crypsis Class technology tackles one of the most pressing challenges on the modern battlefield: constant thermal surveillance. Legacy camouflage is ineffective, while alternate solutions are short-lived, cumbersome, and often create new vulnerabilities. Crypsis Class changes this with a patented nanoparticle system that mimics the natural environment to passively conceal thermal signatures and augmenting existing camouflage to deliver true multi-spectral signature management.
Thorndale, ON
algonquinbridge.com
Alex Walsh, Technical Sales Representative
awalsh@algonquinbridge.com
Algonquin Bridge is a leading innovator of custom prefabricated bridges and modular bridging systems like the Algonquin R800 Modular Panel Bridge System — the cornerstone of our Emergency Response, Rental/Detour, Arctic and Military Bridging Programs. As the only 100% made-in-Canada modular bridge system, the R800 is supported by our coast-to-coast network of engineers and field service teams. It’s easy to ship and install in remote locations with local teams and minimal equipment for temporary or permanent.
Ottawa
Chris Bartlett, President & Co-Founder
CCX Technologies is a Canadian-owned organization driving the advancement of domestic
platform secure networking, edge computing, and advanced radio technologies. Its solutions are
purpose-built to meet the complex operational requirements of the aerospace and defence
sectors, enabling mission readiness in increasingly contested and cyber-threatened
environments. CCX Technologies’ Platform and Operational Technology Cyber
Security Operations Center (CySOC) enhances mission resilience by converting real-time data
and alerts into actionable intelligence to support rapid, informed decision-making.
Bourges, Centre-Val de Loire, France
www.cta-international.com/fr/l-entreprise/
Richard Macintosh, Business Development Manager
r.macintosh@cta-international.com
CTA International (CTAI) is a leader in medium-calibre weapon systems and designers of the powerful 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (40CTAS). CTAI applies a top-down systems approach to gun and ammunition design, ensuring seamless integration and unmatched performance. The 40CTAS is turret-agnostic, with a compact design that enables integration into manned or unmanned turrets and Remote Weapon Stations. It is an optimal solution for both armoured vehicle modernisation and sustainment programmes, as well as new acquisitions.
Etobicoke, ON
Andrew Sliwa – Managing Director
Custom Prototypes is a Canadian-owned specialist in end-to-end unmanned aerial system design and manufacturing. We provide contract development and production services for defense clients and drone OEMs, in addition to developing our own proprietary platforms for military and civilian applications. Our award-winning advanced manufacturing center—featuring premier 3D printing, CNC machining, 3D scanning, and composite fabrication—enables rapid prototyping and the production of tailored, mission-ready solutions. At Best Defense, see our versatile Maplewing fixed-wing UAS.
Ottawa
Sean Homuth, CEO
homuth@defsectec.com
DEFSEC Technologies Inc. develops and commercializes proprietary next-generation technologies that deliver tactical advantage across military, public safety, and personal defence. sectors. The company is an incumbent in two foundational programs for digital modernization and ATAK enablement for the CAF. The mission of DEFSEC’s military division is to deliver transformative solutions that increase the survivability of soldiers on the battlefield and enhance situational awareness. The Company’s CEO, Sean Homuth, is scheduled to present on BLDS at Best Defence 2025, at 9:50am on October 22.
Herndon, VA USA
Brian Myers, Senior Director of Sales
GovWin is the market leader for U.S. and Canadian contractors seeking to confidently manage and grow their government business. Our industry-leading market intelligence platform is uniquely built, backed, and continuously updated by market analysts and industry experts that gather and analyze first-hand information from government decision-makers. Learn how you can gain early access to opportunities, network with teaming partners and buyers, and leverage powerful market intelligence – all supported by our team of experts – to beat the competition and win more government contracts.
Mississauga, ON
www.lynch.ca
Ken Mah M.A.Sc. P.Eng., Director of Strategic Partnerships & Programs
ken@lynch-usa.com
Lynch Fluid Controls is a Canadian Small Medium Enterprise specializing in the design
and manufacture of hydraulic, motion control manifolds and integrated fluid power systems for defense and aerospace applications. With complete in-house capabilities—from “Best of Breed” components, engineering concept development, 3D modeling, analysis, simulations to state-of-the-art Computer Numerical Control manufacturing. Followed by assembly, testing, validation and documentation—Lynch provides turnkey “plug-and-play” motion control subsystems optimized for maximum performance.
Ottawa
www.nortacdefence.com
Tim Grant, CEO
tg@nortacdefence.com
NORTAC Defence® aims to be Canada’s leading SME delivering multi-agency interoperability and data fusion for superior command and control across global military and civilian organizations. We bridge the critical interoperability gap by delivering secure, federated data fusion and command and control solutions, empowering real-time situational awareness and decision making in complex and remote environments. We are achieving this mission through the TITAN BY NORTAC® data fusion platform and its FED HUB solution, which seamlessly integrates diverse communication networks and devices, including tactical radio, LTE, and satellite, truly creating a Common Operating Picture.
San Francisco
Michael Mulley
Planet, a leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions, can help Canada improve its foreign military intelligence analysis by providing a strategic Indications and Warning capability. By combining Planet’s near-daily global satellite insights with archival geospatial data and AI/ML tools, Planet’s Global Monitoring Service establishes patterns of life across thousands of sites globally. GMS can detect changes in normal behaviour within adversarial Areas of Interests and provide indications for future action.
Toronto
publicus.ai
Joe Noss, CEO
joe@publicus.ai
Publicus saves businesses the time, money, and headache of navigating government procurement by automating the painful parts using AI. Publicus’ AI agents find more opportunities to grow your pipeline, analyze and summarize RFPs to take your bid/no-bid from days to minutes, and provide analytics on pricing and competition to improve your chances of winning. Started by Ex-Deloitte Contractor Joe Noss and Deloitte Digital’s first Machine Learning Hire Akash Shetty, Publicus is the only Canadian-focused government procurement tool.
Montreal
simwell.io
Sylvain Gazaille, Director of Defence, Government & Strategic Partnerships
sgazaille@simwell.io
SimWell is a global leader in simulation, optimization, and digital twin technology. Our mission is to unlock simulation at scale and bring clarity to the most complex operational challenges faced by industry and defence organizations. With more than 30 years of military experience on our leadership team, SimWell understands the unique demands of defence operations. We work with the Canadian Armed Forces and defence partners worldwide to model mission-critical systems, validate strategies, and test scenarios in a fully risk-free environment.
Toronto
www.thirdrockconsulting.ca
Rocky Singh, Principal
rsingh@thirdrockconsulting.ca
Third Rock Consulting (TRC) supports Canada’s aerospace, defense, and space sectors through three service arms. In Supply Chain Readiness, TRC helps small and medium businesses reverse engineer the ITB framework to become more attractive to Primes, while enabling Primes to build stronger value propositions through regional development, Indigenous partnerships, and R&D collaborations. Through International Market Expansion, TRC positions Canadian firms to compete globally by structuring joint RFPs. To reduce risk, TRC delivers on-site audit reports, co-developed case studies, and pilot projects that provide “report cards” on partner effectiveness.
Vaughan, ON
Rob Walker, Chief Commercial Officer
Rob.walker@volatus.aerospace.com
Volatus Aerospace is a leader in innovative global aerial solutions for intelligence and cargo. With deep expertise and over 100 years of combined aviation knowledge, we provide meaningful solutions across industries using piloted and remotely piloted systems, enhancing operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability through innovative, real-world aerial solutions.
