Arcanus Aerial Systems Appoints Drone Pioneer Pedram Nowroozi as Chief Technology Officer and Agrees to Acquire Infinit Drones and Nested Technologies

Nearly two decades in unmanned systems, more than 7,000 flight hours, and hundreds of drones personally designed, built and flown. Nowroozi brings Arcanus a proven Canadian engineering and manufacturing team across air, land and marine systems.

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2026 /CNW/ -- Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc. ("Arcanus" or the "Company"), a Canadian, ITAR-free defence technology company supplying unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS and integrated defence solutions to NATO and allied markets, today announced that Pedram Nowroozi will join the Company as Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Nowroozi is one of Canada's most experienced unmanned systems engineers and pilots. Arcanus also announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire the two companies he founded and leads, Infinit Drones Corp. ("Infinit") and Nested Technologies Corp. ("Nested"), together with their subsidiaries.

This is a defining step for Arcanus. The Company gains a CTO who has spent his entire career building drones, along with the Woodbridge, Ontario engineering, manufacturing, flight test and training operation he built. It significantly expands Arcanus' existing Canadian capability, which already includes the ORO defence campus and its domestic manufacturing partnerships, to design, build, test, train and sustain unmanned systems at home.

A joint venture agreement, effective immediately, puts the two teams to work together today on sales, bids, demonstrations, engineering and production planning while the acquisition is completed.

PEDRAM NOWROOZI: A FOUNDER WHO HAS BUILT THE INDUSTRY FROM THE GROUND UP

Few people in Canada have more hands-on experience with drones than Pedram Nowroozi. He is an engineer and pilot with about 19 years in the unmanned systems industry. Over that time, he has logged more than 7,000 flight hours and personally designed, built and flown hundreds of unmanned systems. As he puts it, drones are "pretty much the only industry I've been in my whole life."

Mr. Nowroozi founded Nested Technologies and built it into a full-stack unmanned systems company, with Infinit Drones as its distribution, training and support arm. Under his leadership, the companies have:

• Built a complete Canadian drone operation. Their 7,000 square-foot Woodbridge facility houses engineering, manufacturing, product support, a dedicated pilot training centre and a showroom.
• Designed and fielded mission platforms. These include the Hero Alpha quick-deploy ISR aircraft, the Titan X8 gas-detection platform, SkyTorch Tactical lighting for emergency response, SkyVision mobile command and video, and BVLOS-capable aircraft.
• Earned the trust of front-line operators. Customers include emergency responders, law enforcement, public-safety agencies and energy and infrastructure operators in Canada and abroad. The companies also do white-label manufacturing for industry OEMs.
• Delivered the full lifecycle. Services cover custom payload and robotics integration, regulatory guidance, accredited pilot training, repair and after-sales sustainment.

As Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Nowroozi will lead Arcanus' technology, engineering and integration roadmap across its in-house and allied partner platforms. He will report to the Board of Directors and work closely with the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Strategy Officer. Until the acquisition completes, he will also continue as CEO of Infinit and Nested.

WHAT THE ACQUISITION MEANS FOR ARCANUS

The acquisition gives Arcanus capabilities that normally take a defence supplier years to build:

• In-house design and manufacturing. A Canadian engineering and production team with a portfolio of aerial, ground and marine unmanned vehicles. The portfolio includes ISR and tactical platforms, tethered systems, BVLOS-capable aircraft, custom payload integration and white-label manufacturing.
• Flight test, regulatory and airworthiness support. Accredited pilots, flight-test capability and regulatory expertise. These strengthen Arcanus' readiness to respond to Canadian government RFQs, including under its five-year Supply Arrangement through Canada's Defence Drone Initiative.
• Training and sustainment. Pilot training and qualification, surge staffing, fleet maintenance and repair services. These are the through-life support capabilities that defence and public-safety customers increasingly require.
• Canadianization, integration and next-generation power. Engineering and integration expertise to adapt partner platforms to Canadian content and sovereign-supply requirements, together with access to next-generation silicon-based battery technology and its supply chain.
• A Canadian customer base and contracted business. Established relationships with emergency response, law enforcement, public-safety and critical-infrastructure operators, which complement Arcanus' international defence focus. Infinit also brings a contracted order with a Canadian customer.

STRATEGIC RATIONALE

Defence spending is accelerating and procurement cycles are shortening. Allied buyers want sovereign, ITAR-free systems that can be built, supported and sustained close to home. Arcanus built its position as a Canadian-sovereign integrator by aggregating licensed and manufacturing rights across allied platform partners and has already established a domestic footprint through the ORO defence campus and its Canadian manufacturing partnerships. Mr. Nowroozi and his team expand that footprint with additional engineering talent, production capacity and flight-operations expertise, strengthening Arcanus' ability to deliver the full lifecycle in Ontario, from design and Canadianization through testing, delivery, training and sustainment.

The two businesses complement each other. Arcanus contributes defence market access, capital markets support, partner technology, testing facilities and production partnerships. Infinit and Nested contribute engineering depth, manufacturing process integration, accredited flight operations and an established Canadian security customer base. Together, they can compete as one team for the larger domestic and allied programs that have mostly gone to much bigger primes.

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

Matt Ewing, Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer of Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc., commented: "This is a landmark day for Arcanus. Pedram is the real deal: an engineer and pilot who has spent his whole career designing, building and flying drones. There are very few people in this country with his depth of hands-on experience and having him as our CTO changes what Arcanus can deliver. With him come a proven team, a Canadian factory floor, accredited pilots and a sustainment operation. That is exactly what allied defence customers are asking for. We're starting the joint venture today, so our customers will feel the impact immediately."

Pedram Nowroozi, Chief Technology Officer of Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc. and Founder & CEO of Infinit Drones and Nested Technologies, commented: "I've spent nearly twenty years building drones and the teams that build them. Joining Arcanus is the biggest opportunity of my career. Arcanus brings the defence market access, the capital and the allied technology partners to take what we've built in Woodbridge to an entirely different scale. Together we can design, build and sustain systems for programs that neither company can win alone. I couldn't be more excited to lead Arcanus' technology agenda and to bring our people along on this journey."

ABOUT ARCANUS AERIAL SYSTEMS INC.

Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc. is a Canadian-sovereign defence technology company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Arcanus integrates and licenses unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS, loitering munitions and integrated defence solutions for NATO and allied markets. It works through a portfolio of allied platforms and manufacturing partners and government-to-government procurement channels.

ABOUT INFINIT DRONES CORP. AND NESTED TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Nested Technologies Corp. designs and manufactures unmanned systems and custom robotics. Infinit Drones Corp. is its distribution, training and support partner. Both are headquartered in Woodbridge, Ontario. The companies serve public safety, law enforcement, energy and infrastructure customers in Canada and internationally. They provide aircraft, payload integration, white-label manufacturing, pilot training, regulatory guidance, and repair and after-sales service.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements. They include statements about the completion and timing of the acquisition of Infinit and Nested; the activities and benefits of the joint venture; the integration of the businesses; Mr. Nowroozi's role; and the anticipated operational, commercial and strategic benefits of the transaction. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. These include the ability of the parties to complete the acquisition, integration and retention risk, defence procurement timing, regulatory approvals, supply-chain factors and capital markets conditions. Actual results may differ materially. Arcanus undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc.

INVESTOR & MEDIA CONTACT: Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc., Suite 3200, Bay Adelaide Centre, 40 Temperance Street, Toronto, ON, [email protected] - 647-828-2406