“Now is our time to be bold.” Dave Lohse doesn’t hesitate. It’s the first thing he tells me as we sit down at ITPS Canada’s bustling facility adjacent to London International Airport.
Coming from a retired Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot, accomplished test pilot, and now CEO of one of the world’s leading flight test organizations, the statement carries weight.
For more than 25 years, International Test Pilots School (ITPS Canada) has quietly built a global reputation providing advanced military tactical training, flight test education, engineering, and aircraft maintenance services to air forces and aerospace organizations around the world. The company, which started in the UK back in 1986, was brought to Canada in 2001 by former CEO, and now Executive Chairman, Giorgio Clementi. Since our last visit, the team has grown from around 80 employees just a few years ago to well over 200 today.
Image Courtesy: ITPS Canada
That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects a greater sense of certainty created by increased federal commitments to long-term investment in aerospace and defence. For a company working with highly specialized aircraft, significant capital investments and procurement timelines measured in years rather than months, policy certainty matters. Consider that more than 21,000 people registered for CANSEC this year, Canada’s largest defence, security and emerging technology event. “We’ve never seen this intensity of interest from all levels of government before,” says Lohse. It’s another overwhelmingly positive signal—one that gives ITPS the confidence to invest for the long term.
At a time when countries around the world are increasing defence spending, Lohse reports receiving strong demand signals from Canada’s evolving defence industrial strategy as well as Canada’s traditional allies for expanded tactical training capacity. It’s precisely this momentum that has given the company the conviction to invest meaningfully in scaling both its own capabilities and, through them, Canada’s.
Image Courtesy: ITPS Canada
Earlier this year, ITPS Canada announced a contract with Leonardo, one of the world’s leading providers of military training aircraft and integrated pilot training systems, to acquire six M-346T Block 20 advanced jet trainers, with options for six more. Expected to enter service in 2029, the aircraft will support the expansion of their International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC) in North Bay, Ontario.
The ITTC is ITPS Canada’s dedicated tactical fighter training centre, operating from Jack Garland Airport in North Bay, adjacent to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay with access to expansive northern training airspace. Already serving multiple international customers, it offers advanced and lead-in fighter training to NATO, Five Eyes and allied air forces in Canada. To meet growing fighter pilot training demand from air forces worldwide, the centre is preparing for its first major capability enhancement.
The timing is significant. Canada’s first F-35As are expected to arrive in 2028, ahead of full operational capability by 2034, ushering in a new era of fighter capability. While ITTC won’t be training pilots on operational F-35s themselves, the M-346T Block 20 replicates the advanced cockpit environment and mission systems pilots must master before transitioning to frontline aircraft like the F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon.
Lohse is quick to point out that this isn’t simply an aircraft acquisition; it’s the acquisition of an entire training ecosystem.
The aircraft provide affordable access to highly specialized lead-in fighter training that remains in short supply globally. More importantly, they allow the ITPS team to build capacity exactly where allied demand is growing. Such an investment becomes even more remarkable when you consider who ITPS Canada is.
The company operates one of only eight internationally recognized test pilot schools in the world, the only one in Canada, and the only institution that combines experimental flight test training with tactical fighter training. That gives them a unique position within Canadian and allied air force talent pipelines, preparing pilots not only to fly increasingly sophisticated aircraft, but to evaluate, test, and advance them.
Equally remarkable is the fact that this investment is being made by a private Canadian company. In securing its agreement with Leonardo, ITPS has become the first private organization to acquire the M-346 for this type of training mission. It’s another signal that allied nations increasingly see Canada as the strategic, reliable long-term partner they’re looking for.
“One of Canada’s greatest natural resources is its airspace and the areas that we have to do highly specialized tactical training,” Lohse tells me. It’s an advantage that’s difficult to replicate. European allies face increasingly constrained airspace and growing pressure on training capacity. Canada offers both the geography and the expertise. Lohse likens today’s environment to a modern, high-tech evolution of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which enabled Allied pilot training over Ontario during the Second World War.
Image Courtesy: ITPS Canada
“It’s a tangible symbol of our commitment to our partners, and it puts us in a class of our own in terms of the quality and calibre of the training that we can deliver.”
The conversation around Canadian defence has increasingly centered on sovereignty: focus less on acquiring advanced capability from elsewhere and more on building it here at home. ITPS is a vital part of that equation.
Consider the F-35 program. The Government of Canada reports that more than $3.3 billion USD in F-35 contracts have already been awarded to Canadian industry. But those opportunities don’t exist in isolation. They depend on highly skilled talent, sophisticated testing and simulation environments, advanced training infrastructure, and decades of accumulated expertise. Sourcing advanced aircraft from our North American partners while contributing to their manufacture is one thing. The harder work of sovereignty lies in developing the people, infrastructure and institutional knowledge required to test, operate and continually evolve those platforms.
The aircraft are what people see; ITPS Canada is building everything that makes them effective. Throughout our conversation, Lohse makes it clear that they are a strategic national asset, providing niche capabilities that simply don’t exist elsewhere in Canada. Over the years, the company has quietly accumulated an impressive list of aviation firsts. Today, it has become an understated—but increasingly recognized—foundation of Canada’s commercial and military aerospace sectors, providing our nation with a genuinely unique advantage.
As I wrapped up my tour of the London, Ontario facility, it became easy to understand why Lohse and his team affectionately refer to ITPS as Canada’s best-kept aerospace secret. Much of what happens here isn’t immediately visible. The aircraft leave. The pilots return home. The technologies move into service.
What remains is something much harder to see, but arguably far more valuable: the expertise, capability and trust that quietly strengthen Canada’s place within the global aerospace ecosystem.
Learn more about ITPS Canada: https://itpscanada.com/
Learn more about the Leonardo M-346T Block 20 acquisition: https://www.ittc-canada.com/ittc-announces-fleet-upgrade-of-the-leonardo-aeronautics-m-346-block-20-ajt/
Consider joining the TechAlliance community: https://www.techalliance.ca/become-a-member/
Want to get more technical? Watch our 2025 Masterclass with Dave and dive deep into the technology and innovation powering ITPS: https://youtu.be/VdR2cMuPsVQ?si=ZXqbXua-flPXYxyO
Your role in staying up to date is integral to our shared mission of fostering a community of innovators. CanadianSME Magazine is a valuable treasure trove of entrepreneurial knowledge. Click here to subscribe to our monthly editions for updates on Canadian businesses. Follow our handle @canadian_sme on X to remain updated on all business trends and developments. Your support is crucial to our mission.
Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information intended only for informational purposes. CanadianSME Small Business Magazine does not endorse or guarantee any products or services mentioned. Readers are advised to conduct their research and due diligence before making business decisions.
