The Canadian Armed Forces conducted a rigorous evaluation of nearly twenty drone manufacturers on Wednesday at a remote site west of Ottawa, seeking diverse types of unmanned vehicles and potential partnerships with companies capable of swift adaptation. The event, named RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator 2026, allowed military personnel to test aerial, ground, and maritime drones, along with long-range precision strike systems, as stated by Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, overseeing the military’s joint forces command.
Twenty companies, with 18 being Canadian, participated in the demonstration held at a test range in the township of Killaloe, Hagarty, and Richards, Ontario. Selection criteria included Canadian ownership or alliances, aligning with the federal government’s recent defense industrial strategy. While Canadian suppliers are innovative, significant battlefield drone expertise and technology are concentrated in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
In an interview, Molstad expressed confidence in Canadian companies’ ability to rival the technology and meet military requirements. He emphasized the need for selected partners to be adaptable due to the rapid evolution of drone technology. The military specifically seeks aerial reconnaissance and surveillance drones, ground drones for complex terrains, and maritime platforms for surface and subsurface warfare. Additionally, they are interested in precision deep-strike capability, similar to Ukraine’s successful use against Russian facilities.
The Canadian military has been slow in adopting dedicated drone capabilities, despite their prominence on battlefields for the past two decades. It was not until 2023 that the federal government contracted General Atomics for 11 MQ-9B SkyGuardian (CQ-9B Guardian) armed remotely piloted aircraft systems, set for delivery from 2028. Recently, the military procured a fleet of 50 Teal 2 micro drones from the U.S. for local surveillance. Furthermore, the government announced plans to construct a $30-million military drone research and development facility in Mirabel, Quebec last month.