MIST Mobility Integrated Systems Technology Inc. (MMIST) has received a $9-million repayable investment from the federal government to develop its unmanned aerial vehicle technologies for the aerospace industry.

The Ottawa-based aerial delivery systems maker will receive the injection from the Ministry of Industry as part of a $30-million project to develop its Sherpa and SnowGoose second-generation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which operate without a pilot and can be used to deliver medical assistance and emergency food aid to remote communities.

The upgrades will help enable the military to use the vehicles for a wide range of tasks while keeping troops safe.

"This R&D initiative will build upon MMIST's success to create a family of second-generation Cargo UAVs designed specifically to take on missions that presently demand an unacceptably high level of risk for pilots, soldiers, peacekeepers and disaster relief teams," said MMIST chief executive Sean McCann.

The Sherpa is a precision-guided parachute system for cargo delivery, while the SnowGoose is a powered UAV that can launch both from the ground and in the air. Both UAVs carry a range of electronic sensors and systems that can accurately guide them to their intended destinations.

The funds will help MMIST improve the endurance, cargo capacity and flight-planning systems of both models, as well as to develop a self-launch capability for the SnowGoose. The company hopes to make it possible for the system to transport larger loads of emergency items in domestic and overseas missions.