Montreal, Canada — March 18, 2026 — Ultra I&C will provide its Archer™ troposcatter system for operational trials to support Canadian Armed Forces missions in the Arctic and Europe by extending secure beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communications resulting in increased readiness in one of the planet's most unforgiving environments where satellites struggle and traditional infrastructure doesn't exist.
The deployment of the Archer system supports the newly released Canadian Defense Industrial Strategy focused on strengthening sovereign capability, Arctic readiness, and enhanced contribution to Allied defence. The contract covers Archer systems that dramatically reduce size, weight, power, and cost compared to legacy troposcatter equipment while maintaining advanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities. The deployment will support operational experimentation and capability validation, delivering high-throughput beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) connectivity without depending on satellites or ground infrastructure
"Arctic operations demand communications that work when everything else fails," said Faith Rhodes, vice president of programs at Ultra I&C. "Archer extends network reach into remote environments where connectivity means the difference between mission success and isolation. We've taken troposcatter technology — which has been around for decades — and engineered it for 21st century warfare that is expeditionary, resilient, and deployable in under 15 minutes."
Archer features a next-generation graphical user interface that automates set-up and auto-alignment, enabling operators to establish connectivity in minutes without specialized training or dedicated experts on-site. The common GUI is shared across Ultra I&C platforms, giving forces a consistent, intuitive experience that simplifies training and accelerates adoption across the portfolio. Each system is built for contested environment operations, giving commanders additional network redundancy exactly where they need it most.
Archer was selected by the U.S. Army in June 2025, and other Allied militaries since, to enhance network resiliency by adding an additional form of secure communications in contested environments at extended ranges.