No plans to buy first person drones for Canadian Armed Forces

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First person view drones have transformed the modern battlefield, but the Canadian military has confirmed it has no plans to buy the low-cost aerial vehicles.

The first person view (FPV) drones allow the pilot to see from the drone’s perspective in real-time, usually through a headset.

The systems, which can cost less than $500, are currently being widely used in the Russia-Ukraine war as well as in fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.

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The U.S. Army has been conducting experiments with FPVs with a plan to have a program in place next year and the first units equipped with the systems by 2026.

But the Canadian Armed Forces says it won’t be embracing FPV technology at this point.

“At this time, the Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces does not have any current or planned procurements for First Person View drones for operational use,” department spokesperson Alex Tétreault said in an email. “However, in Our North Strong and Free (strategy) we committed to exploring options for acquiring a suite of surveillance and strike drones as well as counter-drone capabilities, sometime in the future.”

Intelligence analyst Wesley Wark noted in an Oct. 3 article for the Centre for International Governance Innovation that such drone technology is “transforming warfare in real time.”

Ukraine uses FPV drones to drop munitions down Russian tank hatches and chase individual soldiers and small units on the battlefield, he wrote.

Hezbollah, on Israel’s northern flank, has utilized Iranian technology to challenge Israeli air defence systems on a daily basis, Wark added.

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Future drone systems will increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to become truly autonomous weapons and will be used in swarm attacks to overwhelm defences, Wark has argued.

In the meantime, the Canadian Forces has received an order of smaller drones which are controlled by a handheld system equipped with a screen. The federal government bought 50 of the U.S.-built Teal 2 drones at a cost of $4 million, according to a DND briefing document obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

The small aerial vehicles arrived in March and have been distributed to the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Navy.

The Teal 2 drones can be used for limited surveillance and acquiring targets among other duties, according to the briefing. The Teal 2, equipped with a high-resolution camera, weighs 1.25 kilograms and has a range of five kilometres. It can operate for 30 minutes.

The Canadian Forces noted in the briefing that it wants to put in place a standing offer to buy additional smaller drones that have been approved for use by the U.S. military.

The larger strike drones that Tétreault referred to in his email are General Atomics MQ-9B Reapers built in the U.S.

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The federal government announced on Dec. 19, 2023 that Canada would buy 11 of the remotely piloted aircraft for $2.5 billion.

The new drones will be stationed at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., and 19 Wing Comox, B.C.

The drones were originally expected to be delivered in 2025, but that will be delayed until 2028 as modifications are made to the aircraft to deal with Arctic conditions.

“The need to operate at high northern latitudes, including in the Arctic, requires the use of satellites and aircraft antennas and communication components not previously integrated on the MQ-9,” DND spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin explained in a previous email. “Similarly, additional testing and qualification work will be required to ensure the (drones) can be operated and maintained in Canadian climatic conditions.”

Poulin said extra time was also needed so Canadian-made systems could be integrated into the aircraft.

Uplands will also be the site for a new $65-million military facility to control the drone fleet.

The Ottawa installation, to be ready by 2028, will be around 6,000 square metres in size. It will be home to almost 200 military personnel whose job will be to operate and control the drones flying from the bases in British Columbia and Nova Scotia as well as Arctic locations.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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