Everyone in defence is droning on about drones today, and the feds have been listening.
What happened: Ottawa announced a new facility in Mirabel, Quebec, where it will test drone defence technology. It is the second facility in a planned national network of hubs focused on areas of sovereign capabilities as identified by the Defence Industrial Strategy.
The Uncrewed Systems Defence Innovation Secure Hub will be led by a consortium of 30 organizations and receive $29 million over two years to get things up and running.
It’s not to be confused with an existing federal drone facility in Mirabel led by the National Research Council, focused on both defence and commercial use cases.
Catch-up: Military drones have been around for a while, but they’ve really had a breakout year in 2026. Developments in Ukraine and Iran have led many analysts to believe they are the future of warfare, spurring a rush of global investments in drone technology firms.
Ukrainian drones have carried out attacks against Russia on a previously unseen scale and even forced Russian soldiers to surrender — a world first on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Iran has been able to use waves of low-cost, easy-to-produce drones to carry out attacks and, more importantly, drain the U.S.’s valuable defence resources.
Why it matters: A little like AI, Canada was an early innovator in drone defence but has since fallen behind. The feds have made catching back up a priority in its defence spending push, looking to develop sovereign equipment and methods to fast-track acquisitions.—QH
