Canada awaits armed UAVs by 2026
An armed US MQ-9B Reaper before a flight from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam on 4 October 2021. (Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt Divine Cox).
Will the battle to provide MALE UAVs for the Royal Canadian Air Force hinge on the terms of the NORAD agreement between Canada and the US?
In its ‘Strong, Secure, Engaged’ defence strategy laid out in 2017, the Canadian federal government announced that the country would acquire armed UAVs as part of the Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System (JUSTUS) initiative, which evolved into the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) programme.
The goal of the RPAS initiative is to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with an all-new fleet of armed MALE UAVs to primarily gather intelligence and carry out precision strikes as part of a multi-phased FMS procurement.
RPAS marks the first time that the Canadian government has approved the procurement of UAVs
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