The Canadian Armed Forces conducted a rigorous evaluation of nearly 20 drone manufacturers at a remote site near Ottawa on Wednesday. The event, called RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator 2026, allowed military personnel to test various types of aerial, ground, and maritime drones, as well as long-range precision strike systems. Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, who oversees the military’s joint forces command, mentioned that twenty companies, with the majority being Canadian, participated in the demonstration held in Killaloe, Hagarty, and Richards, Ontario.
The selection criteria for participating companies included Canadian ownership or partnerships, aligning with the federal government’s recent defense industrial strategy. While Canadian suppliers are known for their innovation, the expertise and technology related to battlefield drones are predominantly concentrated in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
In an interview, Molstad expressed confidence in Canadian companies’ ability to meet the military’s technological requirements. He emphasized the importance of agility in selected partners due to the rapid evolution of drone technology, particularly citing the constant updates in coding seen in Ukraine’s unmanned systems.
The military’s specific focus is on acquiring aerial reconnaissance and surveillance drones, ground drones capable of navigating complex terrain, and maritime platforms for both surface and subsurface warfare. Additionally, they are interested in precision deep-strike capability, similar to the tactics employed by Ukraine in targeting Russian oil facilities.
Although the Canadian military has been relatively slow in adopting dedicated drone capabilities, recent developments include signing a contract in 2023 with General Atomics for MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones and purchasing a fleet of Teal 2 micro drones for surveillance purposes. Furthermore, the federal government announced plans to construct a $30-million military drone research and development facility in Mirabel, Quebec, last month.