Lockheed Martin invests in Contextere to transform aerospace work

Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Bethesda MD, has made an investment worth USD$1.1-million into Ottawa-based Contextere, an emerging artificial intelligence (AI) software firm, to design, develop and deliver an intelligent personal agent for aerospace and defense maintenance personnel. 

The system will be applicable in field service and industrial inspection activities as well as more complex maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tasks. Lockheed Martin is making this investment as part of its Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) obligation for the in-service support of the 17 CC-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, which were delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2010.

“Our industrial software weaves together the power of enterprise AI with industrial IoT data to give blue collar workers the right information, at the right time on the right device,” says Gabe Batstone, Contextere CEO. “Working closely with Lockheed Martin engineers to refine and test our algorithms in the aerospace and defence environment, will enable us to transform the future of work anywhere warm hands touch cold steel.”

This strategic investment exemplifies how a Global Multinational aerospace company can collaborate with an emerging, innovative Canadian startup to solve critical business challenges, while delivering industrial benefits to the Canadian economy, according to Charles Bouchard, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Canada.

“For Lockheed Martin, accelerating technology development and promoting a culture of innovation in Canada is critical to the success our business,” adds Bouchard. “It is through our work with small, agile and responsive companies like contextere that we are able to advance innovative thinking and the development of new technologies.”