Canada’s Department of National Defense is testing unmanned aerial vehicles in the nation’s arctic territories.
“Experimental missions like CAFJAE are important in our quest to find new ways to meet the demands required to successfully carry out military operations in Canada’s Arctic,” said Dr Marc Fortin, the assistant deputy minister for science and technology at the Canadian Department of National Defense.
The department stated that 34 tests had been conducted in August by the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Arctic Experiment Scientific Team (CAFJAE) at Canadian Forces Station Alert.
Included in the project were experiments purposed to provide information about such military interests as deployment of assets in the northern environment, technology performance, and information regarding how the Canadian Air Forces operational ability could be extended by drones.
“This experimental mission in Alert clearly demonstrates the potential opportunities and challenges that come with operating this technology. It greatly benefits not only the Canadian Armed Forces, but also our government partners in the North,” said Fortin.
“Unmanned systems offer many potential benefits to the Canadian Armed Forces,” commented Dr Simon Monckton, a lead scientist at CAFJAE, “but we must carefully study the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies before moving forward.
“Our CAFJAE experience in Alert has shown that this technology could support some difficult tasks the CAF might need to complete in the Arctic.”
Specific details of the military project have not been disclosed.
By Sid Douglas