Canada will donate more than 800 drones to Ukraine that will help its military forces detect and identify targets as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced Monday.
The Canadian-built drones, valued at over $95 million, will be sourced from Teledyne in Waterloo, Ont., and be sent to Ukraine’s forces as early as this spring, the federal government said.
They’re in a hurry, and so are we, Blair said at the announcement in Etobicoke, Ont.
The spending is part of a previously-announced $500 million in military help for Ukraine.
The government said the drones are important for surveillance and intelligence gathering, and can also be used to move supplies, including munitions, weighing up to 3.5 kilograms. The drones help operators to recognize heat sources, humans and vehicles from far away, even in the dark or in poor weather.
Monday’s announcement came days ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Canada previously donated 100 high-resolution drone cameras to Ukraine, and in the past two years has pledged $2.4 billion in military assistance, part of $9.7 billion in total assistance to Kyiv.
Blair announced last week that Canada was contributing an additional $60 million to help Ukraine’s allies supply F-16 fighter jets to its fighting forces and train Ukrainian pilots.
He just returned from several meetings in Europe where Ukraine was a key topic of concern, including the U.S.-led Ukraine Defence Contract Group, NATO defence ministers and the Munich Security Conference.
