The Department of National Defence (DND) is looking to purchase anti-drone defences for military installations within Canada, federal procurement documents show.
In a short notice posted online Monday, DND said they need a system that can defend personnel, equipment and facilities from drone attacks at locations across Canada. The details of what DND is looking to buy — including what threats the system is meant to defend against — is only being made available to qualified suppliers.
DND did not respond to Global News’ request for information Monday or Tuesday.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has spent years and hundreds of millions of dollars bolstering its drone defences for personnel deployed as part of Operation Reassurance in Latvia — part of NATO’s efforts to bolster its eastern flank as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.
The deployment in Latvia has offered a front-row seat to Canadian and allied forces for the evolution of drone warfare tactics since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
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Canadian military installations at home, though, are far from the threat of direct combat with advanced drone warfare technology — but that doesn’t mean there is no threat, experts say.
Stephanie Carvin, a professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Relations and former intelligence analyst, said the CAF is likely more concerned about hostile powers hiring help within Canada.
Carvin pointed to the recent spate of hired gunman in Canada, allegedly working under the direction of nation states or their proxies.
“It’s very, very hard to sneak operatives across borders. 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 said in an interview.
“Obviously (the RCMP are) worried about drugs, but I also think they’re worried about public events and policing.”
Carvin noted that Canada already has deployed counter-drone systems to protect critical infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
“I would say that the use of counter-drone technology around critical infrastructure is becoming the norm,” Carvin said.
The CAF previously budgeted between $100 million and $249 million for a vehicle-mounted anti-drone system to be used by soldiers deployed in Latvia. That system includes detectors and jammers for radio frequencies and global navigation systems used in drone targeting.
Separately, the federal government launched the Defence Drone Initiative in July 2026 to scale Canada’s ability to produce low-cost uncrewed and autonomous systems at home.
“Recent conflicts have shown that drone technology evolves rapidly,” a statement announcing the initiative read.
“The DDI will help build a more responsive and scalable Canadian ecosystem and it reflects the Government of Canada’s commitment to provide the CAF and (Canadian Coast Guard) with access to Canadian-developed technologies that enhance operational readiness while supporting Canadian innovation, skilled jobs and long-term economic growth.”
The DDI program is intended to study both drone combat systems — including the ability to launch long-range precision strikes — as well as drone interceptor systems meant to defend against hostile uncrewed vehicles.
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