Counter Uncrewed Air Systems

The CUAS – Counter Uncrewed Air Systems Project will provide protection measures against hostile small unmanned aircraft for CAF personnel deployed in the Operation REASSURANCE.

The CAF’s push to acquire unmanned systems is being matched by our allies — and adversaries. To defend against the drone threat from this last group, Canada and NATO need counter-drone drones; aka interceptors that can take the fight to enemy UAVs and knock them out of the sky before they can complete their missions.

  • RFP was issued in Summer 2023.
  • IOC is expected in Fall 2024; while FOC is expected in Fall 2026.

It was announced on Feb 15th that Canada would be acquiring anti-drone capabilities for Canadian Armed Forces members deployed with NATO in Latvia.

Canada is investing $46 million to acquire new counter-drone equipment. This will provide CAF members deployed on Operation REASSURANCE with improved protection against hostile Class 1 UAS (small drones) by enabling their detection, identification, tracking, and defeat – ensuring freedom of action for land operations. Initial operational capability for this new equipment is expected later this year. The project will deliver counter-UAS systems, command and control hardware and software, sensors, non-kinetic effectors, and in service support and training.

Following a competitive procurement process, the Government of Canada awarded contracts for the acquisition and support of dismounted and fixed-site systems as part of Phase 1 of the Counter-UAS Project. The contracts have a total combined value of $46 million. The systems being acquired in Phase 1 include:

  • A contract with an estimated value of $2 million (excluding taxes) to TRD Systems of Singapore for ORION-H9 dismounted directional systems;
  • A contract with an estimated value of $19 million (excluding taxes) to CACI Inc. of the United States of America for CACI BEAM 3.0 omni-directional systems; and
  • A contract with an estimated value of $25 million (excluding taxes) to Leonardo UK Ltd. Of the United Kingdom for Falcon Shield fixed-site systems.