The Government of Canada has awarded a joint venture between ATCO Frontec Ltd., and Inuvialuit Development Corporation (IDC), a two-year contract valued at $48.4 million to design, build, install and operate a new radar defence system in the Northwest Territories. Under the terms of the joint venture agreement, IDC holds 51% ownership, while ATCO holds 49%. The Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar (POTHR) system will use technology that can detect targets at long ranges, typically hundreds to thousands of kilometres, beyond the typical radar horizon.
"We've assembled an incredible team of experts to deliver a highly technical, made-in-Canada solution for the POTHR program," said Jim Landon, President, ATCO Frontec. "Our partnership has decades of experience operating and maintaining defence infrastructure in the Northwest Territories and across Northern Canada."
The enhanced infrastructure is part of a Government of Canada funding plan to strengthen our country's continental defence capabilities, including to modernize the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).
"We are proud to leverage our deep knowledge of the region and work alongside Inuvialuit businesses to drive this project forward," said Robert C. McLeod, Chair, Inuvialuit Development Corporation. "This collaboration will create lasting economic opportunities, strengthen local capacity and deliver direct benefits to Inuvialuit beneficiaries for years to come."
The joint venture has teamed up with Canadian-owned D-TA Systems Inc., a global technology leader with a proven track record and expertise delivering Over-the-Horizon Radar (OTHR) systems. D-TA has already provided two OTHR systems to Canada, the largest in the world, on-time and on-budget.
"In joining forces with ATCO Frontec and IDC, we are leveraging the unmatched logistics and Indigenous partnership capabilities of two Canadian companies, while addressing the stringent logistic and construction challenges of delivering, installing and operating this critical radar technology in the harsh environment of Canada's north," said Dr. Dipak Roy, Founder & Executive Chairman, D-TA Systems Inc.
The partners are working with a number of Canadian-owned and operated suppliers and contractors. The contract commenced on March 28, 2025, with a term of two years and potential for three additional one-year options.
About Inuvialuit Development Corporation IDC is a diversified investment, venture capital and management holding company, wholly owned by Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. Incorporated in 1977, IDC has worked methodically to generate wealth, build a sustainable financial legacy and return secure and long-term benefits to our shareholders. https://irc.inuvialuit.com/
About D-TA Systems Founded in 2007, D-TA designs, develops, and manufactures spectrum processing solutions for demanding electronic warfare applications. D-TA's commercial off-the-shelf products cover virtually all aspects of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) from spectrum sensing to spectrum creation. D-TA is the only SMB capable of offering complete turn-key solutions for all EMSO missions. https://www.d-ta.com/
About ATCO As a global enterprise, ATCO Ltd. and its subsidiary and affiliate companies have approximately 21,000 employees and assets of $27 billion. ATCO is committed to future prosperity by working to meet the world's essential energy, housing, security and transportation challenges. ATCO Structures designs, builds and delivers products to service the essential need for housing and shelter around the globe. ATCO Frontec provides operational support services to government, defence and commercial clients. ATCO Energy Systems delivers essential energy for an evolving world through its electricity and natural gas transmission and distribution, and international electricity operations. ATCO EnPower creates sustainable energy solutions in the areas of electricity generation, energy storage, industrial water and cleaner fuels. ATCO Australia develops, builds, owns and operates energy and infrastructure assets. ATCOenergy and Rümi provide retail electricity and natural gas services, home maintenance services and professional home advice that bring exceptional comfort, peace of mind and freedom to homeowners and customers. ATCO also has investments in ports and transportation logistics, the processing and marketing of ash, retail food services and commercial real estate. More information can be found at www.ATCO.com.
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Forward-Looking Information Advisory Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should" and similar expressions. In particular, forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, references to: the joint venture leading a made-in-Canada solution for the POTHR program; the technology capabilities of the POTHR system; the goals and objectives of the enhanced infrastructure; the anticipated impact and benefits of the contract, including anticipated economic opportunities, impact to local capacity and benefits to Inuvialuit beneficiaries; the partnership capabilities of the joint venture and the proposed third-party partners on the project; and the expected term of the contract.
Although ATCO Frontec Ltd. (the Company) believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable based on the information available on the date such statements are made, no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.
The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of various risk factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. For information about the principal risks that the Company faces, see "Business Risks and Risk Management" in the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.
