The Canadian Armed Forces recently conducted a testing event involving nearly two dozen drone manufacturers at a remote site near Ottawa. The event, called RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator 2026, allowed military personnel to evaluate various aerial, ground, and maritime drones, along with long-range precision strike systems. Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, overseeing the military’s joint forces command, highlighted the importance of Canadian ownership or partnerships in line with the government’s defense industrial strategy.
During the demonstration held in Killaloe, Hagarty, and Richards, Ontario, 20 companies, with 18 being Canadian, showcased their drone technologies. Molstad expressed confidence in Canadian companies’ ability to meet military requirements and emphasized the need for agile partnerships due to the rapid evolution of drone technology, as seen in conflict zones like Ukraine.
The military is particularly interested in acquiring aerial reconnaissance and surveillance drones, ground drones for complex terrains, maritime platforms for surface and subsurface warfare, and precision deep-strike capabilities. Despite the increasing presence of drones in modern warfare, the Canadian military has been relatively slow in adopting dedicated drone capabilities, deploying limited surveillance drones in Afghanistan and recently signing contracts for long-range armed remotely piloted aircraft systems.
To further advance its drone capabilities, the federal government announced plans to construct a $30-million military drone research and development facility in Mirabel, Quebec. This initiative aligns with the military’s efforts to stay abreast of evolving drone technologies and enhance its operational capabilities.