Leading the evolution of the defence and security industry through innovation
When: May 28 and 29, 2025
Where: EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Dr, Ottawa, ON
CANSEC is Canada's largest defence and security trade show.
This year, experts from these NRC research centres are participating in CANSEC:
- Aerospace Research Centre
- Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centre
- Digital Technologies Research Centre
- Ocean, Costal and River Engineering Research Centre
- Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre
The NRC conducts research and develops technologies for its clients and partners, providing them with security and defence solutions for air, land and sea operations. We also provide support for infrastructure, buildings and intelligence services.
On display at CANSEC
Aerospace Research Centre
UAV blown-wing prototype
The Aerospace Research Centre developed their innovative counter-drone platform to address the increasing threat posed by uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combat. Recognizing the urgent need for a solution that is both cost-efficient and high-performance, our researchers focused on creating a UAV platform capable of intercepting and neutralizing intruding UAVs with precision and efficiency. This then led to the development of a counter-UAV platform. This novel drone architecture merges the agility of quadcopters with the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft, a design that enhances the adaptability and effectiveness of counter-uncrewed aircraft systems, providing a critical tool for maintaining security in dynamic combat environments.
Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centre
Battery module test bed
The Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centre's battery module test bed was designed to evaluate the performance of various battery chemistries for military applications. The test bed makes it possible to test up to 6 batteries and 2 supercapacitors at a time, either independently or simultaneously, and take voltage and current measurements separately. Able to operate at 12 V, 24 V or 48 V, the module is beneficial to vehicle startups and for use cases involving different battery chemistries and configurations. The system ensures safe remote testing and boasts a user-friendly control panel. Equipped with a NATO slave connector, the test bed is compatible with any military vehicle. Whether testing is needed on lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride or another battery chemistry, this test bed provides a reliable solution for evaluating battery performance in military settings.
Digital Technologies
Neuromorphic sensor drone detection
The Digital Technologies Research Centre leverages its expertise in machine vision and AI to develop innovative defence and security systems. The NRC's patent-pending drone detection technology employs advanced biologically inspired AI sensors, enabling precise detection of drones, even when out of sight over the horizon or in visually challenging environments such as wooded areas and during snowstorms or in heavy rains.
Ocean, Costal and River Engineering Research Centre
Submarine sail model
The Ocean, Costal and River Engineering Research Centre continues to explore diverse experimental methods for evaluating how submarine surfacing is impacted by the rate of water draining from inside the flooded spaces when submerged. One of the tests conducted was a rising test using a submarine model in the ocean engineering basin at our St. John's facility.
This submarine model is equipped to provide 3 different water level measurements—near the sail's trailing edge, the starboard side and the port side—to evaluate the water draining rate when the vessel is rising.
Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre
Sensors for defence and security
The Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre is showcasing a range of innovative sensing technologies designed for defence and security applications. Among the highlights are mid-infrared (Mid-IR) and far-infrared (Far-IR) laser technologies. They enable highly sensitive detection of gases, chemicals and biological compounds, making them suitable for applications in public safety, environmental monitoring and defence.
Other technologies include a wireless system that uses printed electronics for low-cost, hands-free health monitoring, the detection of gases and heat and devices equipped with embedded structural sensors that allow for non-destructive monitoring of critical systems.
NRC researchers will demonstrate the potential of fibre Bragg grating strain sensors for enhanced structural health monitoring and perimeter protection. Also being showcased are electrochemical sensors and a pathogen detector that the NRC developed in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Canada for the detection of pathogens and chemical threats, as well as in-mold electronics, a process that combines 3D forming and printed electronics and makes it possible to embed sensors into devices.
Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre
LiDAR sensor for underwater applications
The Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre has been working with Phantom Photonics, a deep-tech company using quantum technology to tackle major defence and security challenges. The NRC's unique quantum-based LiDAR system allows researchers to create products that capture high-resolution images over long distances, underwater and in terrestrial and space environments.
With a focus on underwater usage, researchers have developed a system that has a range similar to sonar technology, but that can produce images with the clarity of optical imaging. This allows for discreet detection and identification of underwater threats, significantly improving situational awareness and intelligence for underwater defence operations.
Other security and defence initiatives
Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre
Microgrid testing and training facility
As part of a long-term partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard, researchers use the NRC's microgrid testing and training facility in Vancouver to validate, refine and test renewable energy resources and energy storage systems as part of future plans to deploy hybrid technologies to remote North Warning System radar sites.
The NRC's Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre is leading the effort to de-risk microgrid control systems and develop optimal control strategies to help the Department of National Defence meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. As part of this effort, researchers performed assessments on the power and control systems at numerous remote communication sites, acquiring measured data that will allow them to develop optimized models suitable for hybrid power system operations.
Metrology Research Centre
For more than 10 years, the Metrology Research Centre has helped to better protect Canadian military personnel in combat by developing robust, rapid, sensitive and field-deployable technology for detecting chemical and biological warfare agents. Working with Defence Research and Development Canada's Suffield Research Centre, the NRC has helped develop surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chemical sensors for detecting hazardous chemicals, such as chemical warfare agents, and the elements that activate them. SERS sensors have demonstrated unprecedented sensitivity and are particularly well-suited for identifying chemical agents and providing early warning of exposure. As part of this collaboration, the NRC has also helped improve Canadian SERS sensors and tested them in joint international field trials.
NRC metrology experts in collaboration with scientists at Natural Resources Canada, supported by the commercialization efforts of Canadian company Radiation Solutions Inc., have developed an imager that can rapidly create images of radioactivity, a Compton imager known as SCoTSS, or silicon photomultiplier-based Compton telescope for safety and security. This team of scientists also exploited emerging technological developments in light collection and advances in miniaturized multi-channel electronics to develop unique and highly sensitive survey instruments and imagers. These systems are able to detect, identify and locate very distant or relatively weak sources of radioactivity, even when the instrument or the source is in motion—features that are particularly beneficial in crowded urban environments, where buildings can impede detection of radioactive materials.