Roshel unveils Canadian-made counter-UAS vehicle at CANSEC 2025

Ottawa, ON – Roshel, Canada’s leading manufacturer of armoured vehicles, unveiled its latest innovation at the recent CANSEC 2025: the Senator Counter-UAS Vehicle, a highly advanced mobile platform designed to detect, track, and neutralize Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) threats. Built entirely in Canada and based on Roshel’s combat-proven Senator Pickup MRAP, this platform integrates Leonardo’s world-renowned Falcon Shield CUAS system, protecting its operators from known and emerging threats on the modern battlefield. 

With over 1,800 Senator vehicles deployed in Ukraine alone, Roshel has earned a reputation for delivering highly survivable, adaptable platforms that perform reliably under the most demanding conditions. Now, this proven Canadian platform hosts one of the most advanced CUAS technologies available, offering mobile and static protection against a full spectrum of drone threats – including swarms, long-range reconnaissance platforms, and weaponized UAS. 

The vehicle – designed, engineered, and manufactured at Roshel’s vertically integrated facility in Ontario – is tailored to meet the growing needs of Canadian and allied forces. It features STANAG 4569 Level 2 ballistic and Level 3 blast protection, a bolted capsule for ease of maintenance, and mine-protected seating. It is fully interoperable with NATO C2 systems and supports joint missions through advanced meshing, autonomy, and sensor fusion capabilities. 

“As a Canadian manufacturer, we are proud to deliver a solution that not only reflects our engineering excellence and battlefield experience but also strengthens Canada’s industrial and defense sovereignty,” said Roman Shimonov, CEO of Roshel. “By integrating Leonardo’s advanced Falcon Shield CUAS system into our Senator platform, we’re offering an immediately deployable, highly mobile solution that’s ready for today’s rapidly evolving threats.” 

Leonardo’s Falcon Shield system, operationally proven with the Royal Air Force and Canadian Armed Forces, brings unmatched detection and defeat capabilities. It includes multi-spectrum radar, electro-optical tracking, AI-based classification, electronic attack, protocol manipulation, and a highly automated C2 suite. Now adapted for use on a vehicle, Falcon Shield Mobile is fully operational while on the move, offering convoy protection, self-defense, or remote deployment flexibility. 

“This collaboration brings together the best of Canadian manufacturing and European CUAS innovation,” said Chris Axcell, Senior Vice-President of the Integrated Sensing and Protection business in Leonardo UK. “Falcon Shield has proven itself in service to be a highly capable and rapidly deployable system, effective against current and emerging UAS threats. We are now offering this level of protection on the move with Falcon Shield Mobile, integrating best of breed technologies onboard Roshel’s Senator platform to detect, track, and identify UAS at range, before defeating them with kinetic or non-kinetic effects”. 

The Counter-UAS vehicle represents a strong UK–Canadian industrial collaboration, leveraging the strengths of both nations’ defense industries. The platform is designed with open architecture for future upgrades and rapid integration of additional sensors or effectors. The system can operate as part of a distributed network with fixed-site CUAS installations, manned units, or autonomous assets. 

About Roshel - Roshel is Canada’s largest manufacturer of armoured vehicles, supplying governments and security organizations around the world. Its vertically integrated facility in Ontario enables full control of production—from design and welding to systems integration and testing. Roshel vehicles are trusted by government, military, and law enforcement agencies across Canada and by allied organizations throughout the G7, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. 

For more information about the company, please visit the website: www.roshel.com 

About Leonardo - Leonardo is an international industrial group, among the main global companies in Aerospace, Defence, and Security (AD&S). With 53,000 employees worldwide, the company approaches global security through the Helicopters, Electronics, Aircraft, Cyber & Security and Space sectors, and is a partner on the most important international programmes, within these sectors, such as Eurofighter, NH-90, FREMM, GCAP, and Eurodrone. Leonardo has significant production capabilities in Italy, the UK, Poland, and the USA. Leonardo utilises its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and shareholdings, which include Leonardo DRS (72.3%), MBDA (25%), ATR (50% ), Hensoldt (22.8%), Telespazio (67%), Thales Alenia Space (33%), and Avio (29.6%). Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2023 Leonardo recorded new orders for €17.9 billion, with an order book of €39.5 billion and consolidated revenues of €15.3 billion. Included in the MIB ESG index, the company has also been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010.