The Department of National Defence is seeking counter-drone systems to protect domestic military installations from uncrewed aerial threats, according to federal procurement documents posted online.
While exact technical specifications and threat parameters are restricted to qualified suppliers, the initiative marks a domestic expansion of military counter-uncrewed aerial system efforts previously concentrated overseas.
For several years, the Canadian Armed Forces have operated counter-drone equipment in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance, NATO’s mission to reinforce its eastern flank. That overseas deployment has given Canadian personnel direct exposure to rapidly evolving drone warfare tactics utilized following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Domestically, however, military installations face a different risk profile.
Domestic Security Risks and Critical Infrastructure Protection
Stephanie Carvin, a professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Relations and a former intelligence analyst, said the military’s domestic focus likely stems from concerns regarding hostile foreign actors recruiting operatives locally. Carvin pointed to recent domestic incidents involving hired gunmen working on behalf of nation-states or their proxies.
“It’s very, very hard to sneak operatives across borders,” Carvin said in an interview. “So the model really is just to find people on social media and convince them to engage in this. And it is becoming a major focus of not just the CAF, but the RCMP [which] has a counter-drone unit.”
Carvin noted that counter-drone technology is increasingly standard for safeguarding critical domestic sites, including nuclear power plants.
Procurement Context and the Defence Drone Initiative
The domestic procurement initiative follows substantial investments in foreign deployments and domestic manufacturing. The military previously budgeted between $100 million and $249 million for vehicle-mounted anti-drone system destined for Latvia, utilizing radio frequency detectors and global navigation system jammers.
In July 2026, the federal government launched the Defence Drone Initiative to scale domestic production of uncrewed and autonomous systems. The program aims to foster a responsive Canadian manufacturing ecosystem, supporting long-term economic growth while supplying the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard with indigenous technologies. The initiative encompasses both combat systems capable of long-range precision strikes and interceptor systems designed to neutralize hostile drones.
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