What Type of UAV Will Work Best for the Canadian Forces?

September 16, 2012. By David Pugliese Defence Watch

The Canadian Forces is trying to obtain an unmanned aerial vehicle fleet for both domestic and international missions. The estimated project cost according to DND is $1 billion.

The program to purchase UAVs has been going for a while but has had its ups and downs. Letters of interest related to the proposed procurement have been issued to the defence industry a couple of times so far.

Last year, senior Canadian defence leaders pitched the idea of spending up to $600 million for armed UAVs to take part in the Libyan war shortly before the conflict ended, according to documents obtained by the Citizen.

And while the death of Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi effectively ended the war and scuttled the Defence Department’s plans, the military has now relaunched its program to purchase unmanned aerial vehicles that can be outfitted with missiles and other bombs.

The procurement would happen sometime after 2016.

But which UAV will be the best match for the Canadian Forces?

Predator has been a long-time favourite of some in the Canadian Forces.

In 2007 the Citizen reported the Defence Department had asked the Conservative government for approval to buy the U.S-built Predator for the Afghanistan mission but that request was denied because of concerns in Cabinet and the federal bureaucracy the deal would be non-competitive.

Then there was the lease of the Heron for the Afghan war. Those unarmed Heron aircraft operated out of Kandahar airfield.

In May the U.S. aerospace firm, Northrop Grumman, announced at the CANSEC military trade show in Ottawa that it had made an unsolicited pitch to the Conservative government for the purchase of a fleet of Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles. Those would be used for a variety of missions and to provide surveillance along Canada’s coastlines, in particular, in the Arctic. The aircraft could operate from Goose Bay, N.L., Montreal, or Comox, B.C., the company suggested.

The Global Hawk is capable of staying aloft for up to 35 hours, transmitting video to ground stations during its flight. Unlike the Predator, it is only for surveillance and is not armed.

Which aircraft will emerge the winner? Or will a mix of UAVs be more appropriate?

Any views on this?