Research and partnerships that drive Canada's sovereign defence capabilities
For more than a century, we have advanced research to provide the Canadian Armed Forces with an operational advantage. In fact, our longest and biggest relationship is with the Department of National Defence (DND), having supported nearly 1,000 projects over the last 5 years. We are expanding that relationship under Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy, accelerating new technologies and helping businesses develop made-in-Canada solutions to strengthen national security.
How we partner with the Canadian Armed Forces
The NRC has a long history of working with DND and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and of supporting the Canadian Armed Forces. For example, our ability to conduct flight tests and self-certify under experimental flight permits allows for the rapid iterations needed to turn ideas into real solutions with high levels of technical readiness. Given Canada's renewed focus on defensive capabilities, this relationship will become even more critical as the Canadian Armed Forces works to accelerate the modernization of its fleets.
"Given the perilous state of the world right now, being able to design, test and iterate weapons systems and air vehicles faster than our adversaries so we can gain and maintain an operational advantage is the most important thing we can do. Winning matters—and the only way we ensure that is by investing deeply in Canada's research and innovation engines. The NRC is the crown jewel of that ecosystem. Their work will ensure our armed forces are postured to win decisively in the air domain when asked to defend Canada."
Innovating new ways to pilot and detect drones
Drones have changed the tactics of warfare. To address this threat, we are working with DRDC on a portable technology that can reliably detect drones in crowded areas such as cities or forests. In 2025–2026, we achieved our first minimum viable product of the wide-area drone detection system based on propeller signature, bringing that technology one step closer to real-world deployment.
Unlike traditional drone detection methods, which rely on visual or radio identification, our counter-drone system isolates the unique "signature" of a drone's rotating propellers. This allows it to detect drones in places where no other technologies can—and it is smart enough to differentiate between drones and false positives, such as birds or airplanes. It does this without emitting radio frequency signals that could reveal its location to enemies. Plus, it is portable, able to fit in a car or small armoured transport.
Marc-Antoine Drouin, senior research officer and NRC sector lead for Advanced Machine Vision Defence and Security, realized the system was ready for action when the system performed very well at the 2025 Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. The event brought together innovators from 4 countries to test how well their systems perform in a highly challenging urban environment.
"This project will strengthen security against drone threats, reinforcing Canada's counter-drone industry while supporting the Defence Industrial Strategy through domestic technology development and production," he says.
Real-world testing together with Canadian soldiers
Having proven the concept, the team will shift its focus now toward the practical integration of the system into existing military environments, Drouin says. Over the course of the year, both the NRC and DRDC have been working with the Canadian Armed Forces to find opportunities for soldiers to test the technology in real-world settings. They have installed the system in various locations and, based on the feedback received, made modifications to help deliver the best value to the Canadian Armed Forces. That included doubling the detection range and adding a radio link to communicate when a drone is detected.
"The project has had to continuously adapt to the evolving threat posed by drones, which has been clearly demonstrated by recent global conflicts," says Drouin. "The use of drones is rapidly changing in complexity and capability, requiring ongoing pivots in our research approach and system design."
Collaborative research to connect remote communities
Our research on drones is not limited to detection. In September 2025, we brought partners from universities and industry to Victoria, British Columbia, and to Cowichan Tribes territory on Vancouver Island for a day of real-world testing of innovative drone navigation technologies. This included collision-avoidance sensors to help drones detect aircraft and other obstacles and autonomous flight-planning tools that enable drones to pick up and deliver packages safely beyond an operator's visual line of sight. This research helps drones fly safely in harsh and remote environments, including Northern Canada, and could transform how supplies such as food and medicine are delivered to hard-to-reach places—providing benefits to remote communities and military operations in the North.
Last, with a federal investment of $105 million over 3 years, we are establishing a Drone Innovation Hub to accelerate the development and commercialization of mission-ready drone technologies across Canada. Connecting NRC test ranges and simulation environments with those of our government and industry partners, the hub will greatly enhance drone and counter-drone research and testing capabilities. Our technical teams will also work with Canadian businesses to transform concepts into deployable technologies, strengthening Canada's sovereign supply chain for uncrewed and remotely piloted aircraft.
"Collaboration between government science organizations drives innovation and national resilience. When Defence Research and Development Canada and the NRC work together, we develop technologies that address critical capability gaps, deliver value to the Canadian Armed Forces and other government partners and strengthen Canada's dual-use industrial sector."
Supporting Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy
A core pillar of the Defence Industrial Strategy is boosting domestic production capabilities to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with what they need to protect our country. As a key partner of the strategy, we will use our resources and capabilities to position Canada at the forefront of defence research and innovation. We designed 2 new Challenge programs last year to support that goal, both of which will be active from 2026 to 2028:
- The Biomedical Countermeasures Initiative will accelerate the sovereign development and manufacturing of diagnostic tools, vaccines and therapeutics to protect people from biological threats, particularly high-consequence pathogens that can cause fatal diseases. We will work with partners from industry, academia, government and the not-for-profit sector to help move more early- to mid-stage biomedical innovations into clinical testing.
- The Quantum Safe Technologies Initiative will develop cryptography applications to protect Canada's critical infrastructure (e.g. defence, finance, telecommunications, health, transportation) against attacks from quantum computers, which could one day break the encryption currently used to protect sensitive data. This initiative will also help build national capacity in quantum-safe cyber security through training and awareness programs.
Scaling up Canada's defence and dual-use innovations
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are vital to achieving the Defence Industrial Strategy. Through our Defence Industry Assist (DI Assist) initiative, we are helping high-potential SMEs advance made-in-Canada defence and dual-use technologies (meaning they can be used for civilian and military purposes). With a three-year, $241-million investment from the Government of Canada, DI Assist helps position innovative Canadian businesses to address the capability needs of the Canadian Armed Forces and compete globally.
Launched in January 2026, DI Assist is already delivering results. For example, Tungsten Collaborative, a subsidiary of Ottawa-based Robotics Centre Inc., is receiving advisory services and up to $943,850 in funding to develop an AI-powered drone manufacturing process. With this technology, the company is aiming to support building drones up to 100 times faster than current standards, enabling new capabilities across commercial and military applications.
Learn more about defence and security research at the NRC.