Ottawa’s proposed defense budget would expand military drone and counter-drone capabilities over five years amid growing cooperation with Kyiv.

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Canada plans to invest at least C$2.3 billion ($1.8 billion) over five years in military drones and counter-drone systems, according to its proposed 2026 federal budget, as Ottawa expands defense cooperation with Ukraine.

The funding would allow Canada’s Department of National Defense to accelerate the development, procurement, and deployment of unmanned systems and technologies designed to counter them.

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Canada and Ukraine also reached agreements on joint drone production, military assistance and air defense support.

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  • ScottyOP
    3·
    7 hours ago

    I am not so sure whether return on investment is the sole - or even most important - point here. First, Ukraine will need production hubs outside the country because they can’t be attacked by Russia; and second, Canada needs own production capabilities for its sovereignty (European countries like Denmark have been establishing similar hubs, some of them also in cooperation with Ukraine afaik).

    • kbal@fedia.io
      2·
      7 hours ago

      Building up Canada’s industrial capacity to build things is exactly the kind of “return on investment” I had in mind. There are better ways to do that than buying loads of military hardware that will sit in warehouses while it goes slowly (or perhaps quickly) obsolete. You know, unless we’re aiming to gain any possible advantage no matter the cost in a war that’s going to start next year or something.