OTTAWA — The Canadian military is conducting an extensive field evaluation today alongside domestic aerospace firms to assess unmanned aerial platforms under operational conditions.
The initiative, designated as the RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator, is taking place at a specialized NATO evaluation facility in the Ottawa Valley established for analyzing pioneering technological advancements.
The federal government is looking to quickly adopt more drones as the technology develops rapidly and becomes more important in modern warfare.
Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, commander of the Canadian Joint Forces Command, says this is an example of how the military must do business with industry to innovate swiftly.
He says this kind of event puts military drone operators and industry experts developing the platforms in direct contact to discuss how they’re being developed.
Molstad is co-ordinating the Canadian Armed Forces’ efforts to identify the types and mix of new uncrewed platforms the military will need, like the kinds of lower-cost drones that have been deployed in the Ukraine war.
