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Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, commander of Canadian Joint Forces Command, speaks at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence in Ottawa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Canadian Armed Forces holds major drone testing event with manufacturers

Aug 12, 2026 | 1:00 AM

OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces is holding an event today with Canadian drone manufacturers to test their platforms in real-world scenarios.

The event, called the RED COBALT Uncrewed Systems Accelerator, is being held at a NATO test centre in the Ottawa Valley set up for testing cutting-edge technologies.

The federal government is looking to quickly adopt more drones as the technology develops rapidly and becomes more important in modern warfare.

Lt.-Gen. Darcy Molstad, commander of the Canadian Joint Forces Command, says this is an example of how the military must do business with industry to innovate swiftly.