Mr. Cameron Chell reports

DRONE MAKERS ACSL AND DRAGANFLY PARTNER TO BRING NDAA-COMPLIANT JAPANESE DRONES TO CANADIAN MARKET; SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR AGREEMENT AND LAUNCHES TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

Draganfly Inc. and ACSL Inc., the largest Japanese drone maker, renowned for innovation and commitment to quality, have signed an exclusive master distributor agreement and launched technology integrations. This partnership will bring ACSL's technology to the Canadian market while the resulting collaboration will lead to the development of exciting new capabilities and interoperability between both companies' drone platforms. This milestone comes as Canada's commercial drone market accelerates toward a projected $10-billion (U.S.) by 2030.

As the exclusive Canadian partner, Draganfly is bringing the ACSL SOTEN to market, a compact, easy-to-deploy, multimission platform with swappable payloads and a secure-by-design architecture. Purpose built in Japan, SOTEN complements Draganfly's established portfolio -- Apex, Commander 3XL and Heavy Lift -- supporting payloads from 6.6 to 100-plus pounds and expanding customer capabilities with a highly portable, adaptable solution.

This partnership also aims to address industry needs by offering more viable options for building diverse, interoperable drone programs. Through technical integration, certain Draganfly-made drones like the Apex and Commander 3XL will be compatible with SOTEN's swappable camera payloads along with the ACSL TAITEN smart controller. Pilots will be able to build drone programs around their needs, combining the advantages of both Draganfly and ACSL systems, and controlling platforms as needed with the ACSL TAITEN ground control station.

SOTEN has four swappable camera options: the standard 20-megapixel one-inch sensor camera with a mechanical shutter, the SAMO dual thermal optical system, a multispectral option and an optical zoom camera. The TAITEN smart controller features a seven-inch 1,500-nit screen, a rugged IP54-rated design and a suite of customizable buttons. The platform emphasizes operational reliability, secure communications and flexibility to adapt as mission requirements evolve.

"We've seen significant adoption of the ACSL platform in the U.S., and we're excited to bring this technology to the Canadian drone market," said Cynthia Huang, chief executive officer of ACSL. "Customer feedback has been strong. With its modular design, once SOTEN gets incorporated into a workflow, it becomes a go-to choice for many missions. This partnership is a great reflection of addressing the needs of customers, increasing interoperability among drone solution providers to build a more resilient industry."

"We've taken a hard look at the market, and ACSL stands out as the strongest partner in this segment to integrate with our OEM product line," said Cameron Chell, chief executive officer of Draganfly. "This gives customers a true single-source solution, combining best-in-class manufacturing and technology to build scalable, future-ready drone programs."

As the adoption of enterprise drone operations continues to expand across Canada, ACSL's entry reinforces the importance of trusted manufacturing, ecosystem collaboration and platforms designed to meet the realities of professional use.

The SOTEN platform will be available across Canada exclusively through Draganfly beginning in June, 2026.

About Draganfly Inc.

Draganfly is a leader in cutting-edge drone solutions and software that are transforming industries and serving stakeholders globally. Recognized for innovation and excellence for over 25 years, Draganfly is an award-winning original equipment manufacturer and technology integrator to the public safety, civil, military, agriculture, industrial inspection, security, mapping and surveying markets. The company is driven by passion, ingenuity and a mission to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to customers worldwide, saving time, money and lives.

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