The Canadian Armed Forces recently conducted a rigorous evaluation of nearly twenty drone manufacturers at a remote site near Ottawa to explore various types of unmanned vehicles and potential partnerships with adaptable companies. Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, overseeing the military’s joint forces command, highlighted the RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator 2026 event, where military personnel tested aerial, ground, and maritime drones, along with long-range precision strike systems.
Twenty companies, predominantly Canadian, participated in the demonstration held in Killaloe, Hagarty, and Richards, Ont. The selection criteria emphasized Canadian ownership or partnerships, aligning with the federal government’s defense industrial strategy. While Canadian suppliers are innovative, much of the cutting-edge drone technology and experience in real-world scenarios are concentrated in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
Molstad expressed confidence in Canadian companies’ ability to match the required technology and meet military demands. He emphasized the necessity for agile partners due to the rapid evolution of drone technology, citing the dynamic nature of coding updates in Ukraine’s uncrewed systems. The military’s focus includes aerial reconnaissance and surveillance drones, ground drones for complex terrain navigation, maritime platforms for surface and subsurface warfare, and precision deep-strike capability similar to Ukraine’s tactics against Russian oil facilities.
Despite the Canadian military’s historical slow adoption of dedicated drone capabilities, recent developments include a contract with General Atomics for MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones and the procurement of Teal 2 micro drones for surveillance. The government’s commitment to enhancing drone capabilities is evident in the construction of a $30-million military drone research and development facility in Mirabel, Que.