Canada to spend up to $100M on new drones for navy warships

HMCS St. John's, one of Canada's Halifax-class frigates, heads through the fog as it returns to port in Halifax on Monday, July 23, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

The Canadian military is preparing to spend up to $100 million to outfit the navy’s largest warships with new aerial drones capable of conducting long-range surveillance and targeting operations at sea.

The federal government is expected to award a contract for up to 12 ship-based drones later this year, with delivery of the first vehicles anticipated within 12 months of signing the deal, according to a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence.

The project has already been in development for more than a decade, after a previous deal with the Canadian Army to provide drone capabilities for the Halifax-class frigates expired in 2014.

While the navy has deployed smaller drones on an ad hoc basis ever since, the new procurement deal will field a fleet of larger uncrewed aircraft for dedicated operations from the navy’s largest vessels.

National Defence spokesperson Kened Sadiku says the department has completed its bid evaluations for the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) drone program, and is now in the approval phase with the successful supplier.

“This effort ensures that all aspects of the project are thoroughly considered and that it meets the operational intent of the Royal Canadian Navy,” Sadiku said in an emailed statement.

The navy’s requirement for the ISTAR drones include vertical launch and landing capabilities and a flight range of at least 50 nautical miles (93 kilometres) while carrying a load of sensors that can provide over-the-horizon intelligence to ship commanders.

The cost to acquire the technology – including the aircraft, control stations and various sensor packages – is expected to range between $50 million and $99 million, according to the department.

“Designated Halifax-class ships will be equipped with a UAS (uncrewed aircraft system), each with two aircraft and a control station. Up to all 12 Halifax-class ships could be modified to receive a UAS when operationally required,” Sadiku said.

“The exact quantity of UAS and related equipment to be purchased has yet to be confirmed. This is why DND will make an initial purchase of a quantity of UAS and then evaluate if options are to be exercised to procure additional assets.”

Lessons from Ukraine

In anticipation of the navy’s evolving drone capabilities, the service’s commanders have stood up a new unit to spearhead advances in uncrewed warfare at sea.

Officially launched last year, the Advanced Naval Capabilities Unit is intended to serve as the navy’s “centre of excellence” for maritime drone and counter-drone operations, according to the commander of Canada’s Pacific fleet, who oversees the unit.

“We needed to look at a larger picture of where the navy needs to go, looking at what’s happening in Ukraine and around the world,” Cmdre. Dave Mazur said in an interview with CTV News about the new unit.

“When you see the world – what’s happening in places like that – you’re seeing how drones are being used, and you see we’re not operating drones to that extent, and we don’t have a vision of doing it,” Mazur said.

“You need a group of thinkers that are saying ‘What can be done? Where are we going? What are we doing?’ And so that’s what this group is meant to do.”

The unit is headquartered under Mazur’s command at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, with an Atlantic fleet detachment located at Canadian Forces Base Halifax, comprising approximately 150 members drawn largely from the navy’s harbour security and tactical ship-boarding teams.

Several foreign and domestic aerospace companies had expressed interest in competing for the ISTAR contract, both independently and as part of larger consortiums to collaborate on the project.

National Defence declined to discuss the solicitation process or say how many firms ultimately bid on the contract, referring questions to Public Services and Procurement Canada.

The procurement agency also declined to confirm which companies expressed interest in bidding on the program.

“In order to ensure the integrity of the procurement process, the Government of Canada is not in a position to disclose the number of bids received,” spokesperson Jeremy Link wrote in an email.

“A contract award is anticipated for later this year, at which point the name of the winning bidder will be announced.”