Drones and the future of Canada’s military industry
4/23/202624 min
Robotics and drones are now leading the charge in modern warfare, reshaping battlefields in Ukraine and on the Strait of Hormuz. The Canadian military, with renewed funding and targets, is focusing on developing drones – and defence companies want to be part of production and investment.
Pippa Norman covers the defence industry and Canada’s military strategy for The Globe. She explains why unmanned vehicles are gaining popularity with military and government leaders, how its development is meant to reduce reliance on the U.S. and whether military, government and business can adapt to the moment.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCheryl Sutherland· Host0:00
[bell dings] The warfare of today is very different from what it was decades ago. [upbeat music] Drones now swarm the modern battlefield, something we've seen in Ukraine and in the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Canada is trying to modernize its own military by investing in the development of these devices, but it's more than just getting new equipment for the Canadian Armed Forces. It's also about businesses building a drone industry at home. The federal government recently announced a nine-hundred-million-dollar defense industrial strategy, including over three hundred million dollars going to a drone innovation hub. Pippa Norman has been covering Canada's military and defense industry. She joins us to discuss why we're seeing this massive shift toward autonomous vehicles, what exactly companies are working on, and how likely it is that Canada will develop a national drone industry. I'm Cheryl Sutherland, and this is The Decibel from The Globe and Mail. [upbeat music] Hi, Pippa. Thanks so much for coming back on the show.
Pippa Norman· Guest1:09
Thanks for having me.
Cheryl Sutherland· Host1:10
So Pippa, how are drones changing the way wars are fought?
Pippa Norman· Guest1:14
They're changing the ways wars are fought in a few different ways. One of them is sort of the, the economics of war. Like, if you think about how much it costs to produce a drone versus what we call sort of legacy systems, so like a rifle or