Charlotte lands Canadian deal for a big armored vehicle manufacturing plant
A Canadian armored vehicle manufacturer is doubling its North American manufacturing footprint, which includes opening a 200,000-square-foot facility in Charlotte.
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INKAS, a 30-year-old company that specializes in armored SUVs, tactical vehicles and defense, said recently it will have three new production sites fully operational across Canada and the U.S. by July 31. The company did not disclose investment details, location or the number of jobs in Charlotte.
“We expect the Charlotte facility to create high-quality jobs over time and become an important hub for our U.S. operations,” INKAS CEO David Khazanski said in a statement Friday to The Charlotte Observer. “We’ll have more to share as the project progresses.”
In addition to the Charlotte site, the company added a second plant in Toronto and a new facility in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The Charlotte site represents the largest piece of INKAS’ latest expansion. The company plans to use it to support growing demand from government, defense, law enforcement and commercial security sectors.
The Charlotte plant is set up to build armored vehicles. By hiring local workers who already have experience in this field, the company can get production up quickly, according to INKAS.
The INKAS facilities will create jobs for engineers, technicians, production specialists and support teams.
“Beyond expanding our production footprint, this investment is about creating skilled jobs, supporting local economies and building long-term manufacturing capability in North America,” Margarita Simkin, chairwoman of INKAS, said in a statement.
INKAS is a privately-held company headquartered in Toronto.
INKAS isn’t the only company manufacturing armored vehicles in the Charlotte area.
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Hendrick Technical Solutions began building part of Army Infantry Squad Vehicles for GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, from its 80,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in 2025. The vehicles are in use by the Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions. The Hendrick manufacturing plant is a separate business from Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team.
Hendrick invested nearly $15 million in the Technical Solutions expansion, plus a second same-sized building next door for future assembly. The company also has made armored vehicles. The site had 140 employees as of March 2025.
In August, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement approved $2.2 million for 25 Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs from the company featuring specific enforcement and tactical capabilities.
GM Defense also has its own 275,000-square-foot manufacturing site at 4280 Defender Way in Concord, where Suburban Shield armored SUVs are made.
And west of Charlotte, The Armored Group (TAG) in Shelby builds tactical SWAT trucks, military combat vehicles and other armored vehicles at its 227,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on its 110 acre campus. The Shelby campus has 130 workers.
A Mooresville site that works in tandem with Shelby operations has 35 workers, according to the company.
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that Hendrick Technical Solutions is a separate business from the NASCAR team.
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 10:55 AM.
