By Scott Simmie
When Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) on February 17 of this year, he stressed this was a critical turning point for Canada.
Not only would the Federal Government invest some $500B between now and 2035 to enhance our armed forces and defence/sovereignty capabilities, but a significant amount of that money would be earmarked for Canadian technology companies. The goal is to bolster Made-in-Canada capabilities and jobs, while reducing traditional reliance on US primes. Defence Minister David McGuinty hammered that point home:
“Today’s announcement reflects the government’s clear commitment to ensuring Canada has secure, timely, and reliable access to the capabilities required to defend our country, protect our sovereignty, and confront current and future threats,” he said.
“This is the time to be ambitious. By investing in Canada’s future, we are strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces’ ability to defend, deter, and defeat threats to Canada and Canadians – an investment we cannot afford to miss.”
A few months earlier, in October of 2025, the new Defence Investment Agency was announced. Its role is to modernise the defence procurement process “by centralizing expertise, cutting red tape and streamlining decisions. This means faster delivery of critical equipment to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard, protecting Canada’s sovereignty and strengthening our armed forces.”
The Agency has already reviewed many hundreds of applications from Canadian companies, ranging from startups through SMEs and larger companies. From those, it has selected a smaller number that have been invited to bid on procurements – and those Request for Proposals are already underway.
InDro Robotics is pleased to announce we’re on that list, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other innovative Canadian firms.
Above: The world’s longest-range vehicle, which InDro is extensively modifying for remote operations. Below: InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece
DEFENCE INVESTMENT AGENCY GOALS
With cutting red tape one of its stated goals, the Defence Investment Agency has already begun awarding contracts. They include an initial contract valued at approximately $2.3B for “military communications to support Arctic Sovereignty and National Security,” awarded to Telesat.
“The contract will defend Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic by delivering the first phase of next-generation military satellite communications capabilities for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) through the Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation,” states this news release. “This is the first contract awarded following the strategic partnership established in December 2025 between the Government of Canada, Telesat and MDA Space.”
The Defence Investment Agency has some key areas and initiatives it will be prioritising. They are:
- Air and Space: Radar, surveillance, early warning, air mobility
- Joint and Digital: “Using advanced technology and training to help protect Canada and North America”)
- Sea: Modernising submarines/naval fleet to support defence and Arctic sovereignty
- Land: “Upgrading vehicles, gear and infrastructure to keep the Army mobile, safe and ready for new challenges.” This includes Canadian Forces bases themselves
DIS OPPORTUNITIES FOR TECH COMPANIES
Buried within those broad categories are many opportunities for selected companies with expertise in long-range RPAS and ground robotics. In fact, InDro has already put in proposals in those domains. One of them involves a robotic version of the world’s longest-range vehicle: A rugged hybrid-electric AWD that can travel 7,000km on a single tank of diesel.
This is clearly an opportune time for Canadian suppliers to potentially grow their businesses while contributing to critical national goals. Part of the DIS aims to strengthen economic ties with European allies, meaning opportunities will arise to showcase and potentially sell Canadian innovations to global partners, many of whom are also pivoting on their own traditional reliance on US military and defence manufacturers.
Things are moving quickly. And the recent “RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator 2026” event at the new Area X.O Killaloe was a clear indicator of that. Multiple Canadian companies, including InDro, were invited to exhibit defence-related RPAS, ground robotics and more at a hands-on event that included key decision-makers from the Department of National Defence and the Defence Investment Agency.
Below: The recent RED COBALT event, followed by an image of the long-range vehicle InDro is transforming into a robot
INDRO’S TAKE
InDro is proud to potentially play a role in Canada’s defence and sovereignty at this critical point in history – and believe we have several dual-purpose technologies that could prove useful in these endeavours. In addition to the vehicle mentioned above, InDro is also involved with a long-range ISR RPAS that can withstand Arctic temperatures and carry a payload in addition to multiple sensors.
While the Defence Investment Agency has narrowed the playing field, we also know there are no guarantees. The DIA will, as it should, scrutinise all proposals to ensure that the best selections are made in the interests of the country – and its taxpayers.
“These are, indeed, changing times,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We have carried out multiple projects for the Department of Defence in the past, and are now laser-focused on these newer and far more ambitious initiatives.
“Yes, we share in the industry’s enthusiasm for potential business opportunities. But even more than that, InDro is proud to be answering Canada’s call for new and innovative technologies we believe will benefit the country at large at this critical point in history.”