Canada invests nearly $1 billion in domestic drone, aerospace technology to strengthen security and sovereignty

Canada will invest more than $900 million for defence innovation in Canada, including money for drone technology and a new Bombardier aircraft, managed through the National Research Council (NRC), according to an announcement by Industry Minister Melanie Joly, National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr.

The National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) new programs in support of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy reinforce its long-standing partnership with the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces. This enduring collaboration represents the single largest client relationship of the NRC today.

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• Initial investments under the Defence Industrial Strategy contribute to Canada spending 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2025–2026.
• Increasing investments in core military capabilities, building up Canadian industry and investing in dual-use technologies are putting Canada on a pathway to meet the new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defence Investment Pledge to invest 5% of GDP by 2035.
• The Canadian defence industry contributes nearly $10 billion to Canada’s GDP and supports over 81,000 jobs.
• Since 2021, the NRC has delivered more than 975 joint projects with DND, advancing aerospace, sensors, marine and biosecurity technologies.
• The NRC’s Challenge programs have provided more than $240 million in joint research and development funding since 2018. They have produced 2,600 technologies and tools and nine spin-off companies.