3rd Canadian Division’s drone fleet set to balloon
February 9, 2026 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel
As the character of warfare has shifted over the past several years, 3rd Canadian Division (3 Cdn Div) and the wider Canadian Army are enhancing their aerial capabilities.
Through the Canadian Army’s MINERVA Initiative, 3 Cdn Div is in the process of significantly increasing its inventory of General Purpose Uncrewed Air Systems (GPUAS), also known as drones.
Currently, 3 Cdn Div has 39 drones in its possession. That number is expected to increase by more than 1,000 per cent by the end of March 2027 when the Division plans to have more than 500 units.
“This is all based on what we’re seeing happen in Ukraine right now,” explained Major Joe Bissonnette, 3 Cdn Div Headquarters’ G34 in charge of managing equipment in support of operations.
While traditional weapons systems remain effective on the battlefield, they are no longer as decisive as they once were. Most sources indicate drones are responsible for over 50 per cent of combat losses across both sides in the Ukraine‑Russia war.
That large percentage of casualties resulting from drones represents a “significant” shift in battlefield momentum, Maj Bissonnette said. The events in Ukraine and Russia over the past four years have been illustrative in demonstrating the current methods of waging war.
"Ukraine versus Russia is our best glimpse into what a near peer, full‑scale conflict would look like,” he said.
For Brigadier‑General Wade Rutland, Commander 3 Cdn Div / Joint Task Force West, what is happening in Ukraine emphasizes that new tools are required to fight tomorrow’s wars.
“The modern battlefield is filled with sensors, drones and long‑range weapons,” he said. “We are working to modernize the Canadian Army and give our soldiers the tools they need to see farther, move smarter and survive longer.”
As drones have become more prevalent and widespread, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is watching very closely and using what it is learning to develop a plan to expand and enhance its drone capabilities.
Those plans are in their early stages, and that is where the MINERVA Initiative comes in. Named after the Roman goddess of strategy in warfare, the MINERVA Initiative aims to supply the CAF with not just GPUAS, but also Uncrewed Ground Systems (UGS) and Uncrewed Littoral—water‑based—Systems (ULS).
The Canadian Army is undergoing a process to increase its General Purpose Uncrewed Air Systems—also known as drones—inventory to adapt to an ever‑changing military world. Over the next few years, the Army is expected to acquire hundreds of drones similar to those pictured.
Photo courtesy Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician, Operation UNIFIER Public Affairs
Photo courtesy Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician, Operation UNIFIER Public Affairs
“The MINERVA Initiative will help the Canadian Army assess the benefits all uncrewed systems—including drones—can provide to our soldiers,” BGen Rutland said. “We are looking to develop systems that can scout ahead, deliver supplies and strike targets. All those capabilities will help soldiers win on the battlefield by providing them with better situational awareness and tactical options.”
A key aspect of the initiative is the ‘GP’ – “general purpose.” The GPUAS are categorized in part by weight and size, and are intended to be primarily small quadcopters. The goal is for any soldier within a unit to be able to operate them with only a brief tutorial on the system, instead of requiring specialized training.
At this time, most of the CAF’s GPUAS and larger drones have been procured off the United States’ “Blue List,” a list of manufacturers that have been thoroughly evaluated and approved as not using parts and technologies from competitor nations, explained Maj Bissonnette. The MINERVA Initiative aims to substantially increase the Canadian content in the CAF’s drone inventory.
The CAF is approaching local industry and universities across Canada with its requirements for what it needs its drones to do, asking ‘Can you build this?’
“They’re looking for innovation. They’re looking for low cost. They’re looking for scalable production to meet niche requirements that we may have for drones,” he said.
Photo supplied
Photo by Master Corporal Alana Morin, Joint Task Force – North, Yellowknife
BGen Rutland stressed the goal is getting the best technology and not getting something just to have it quickly.
“This isn’t just a procurement effort,” he said. “It’s deliberate, evidence‑based planning that brings soldiers, engineers and industry together early in the process. The MINERVA Initiative gives Canadian companies real environments to test and refine technology, and in turn strengthens our ability to build a more sovereign, resilient defence industrial base. By contributing real user feedback and real field experience, 3 Cdn Div is helping shape how uncrewed systems will support the Army for years to come.”
All uncrewed systems the Army acquires, whether aerial, ground or littoral, will need to contend with the environmental challenges Canada poses. They will need to be robust enough to work reliably in both winter weather and the Arctic climate, as well as function in rain, wind, darkness and across long distances. They will also have to be rugged and durable—“battle proof”—to survive tough handling typically found in military operations.
Within the MINERVA Initiative there are several sub‑initiatives with their own requirements and desired outcomes. These include:
- the Government of Canada’s BOREALIS (Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Innovation and Science) program, focused on frontier technologies like quantum, AI and cybersecurity for defence modernization;
- the Department of National Defence’s IDEaS (Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security) program, focused on funding early‑stage defence innovation from academia and industry; and
- NATO’s DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) program, focused on developing dual‑use deep tech innovation across member states.
Procuring and acquiring new drones for the CAF faces two conflicting pressures, Maj Bissonnette said.
“There is an element of ‘What we really need to do is get drones in the hands of the troops so they can start learning how to use them,’” he explained.
On the other hand, it’s crucial the CAF knows what it wants its drones to be capable of, and how they will be used, before placing orders.
“If we’re building out drone doctrine, what do we require?” he added. “How are we going to fight this fight?”
To that end, a MINERVA Initiative working group took place at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in November 2025 to map out the drones’ capabilities.
“Those initial statements of requirement have been created with the input of all the corps across the Army,” Maj Bissonnette said. “Then the Army Headquarters and the CAF will synthesize all those requirements across the services and then approach industry.”
Overall success of the MINERVA Initiative will come from a deliberate process that starts with the soldiers on the ground, BGen Rutland said.
“We are building capability from the ground up,” he said. “Here in 3 Cdn Div, we will put drones directly into the hands of troops, learn quickly, and feed those lessons back into the Army’s broader development efforts. Every flight, every trial and every field problem teaches us what works, what doesn’t, and what we need next. That bottom‑up perspective is essential, because it ensures the capabilities we acquire genuinely enable soldiers on the battlefield.”
A large part of the over 500 drones 3 Cdn Div is expected to acquire by March 2027 is a result of the Canadian Army’s realignment and the transition of 3 Cdn Div into Manoeuvre Division, Maj Bissonnette explained. Manoeuvre Division will oversee 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG), 2 CMBG, 5 CMBG and 6 Canadian Combat Support Brigade, bringing those brigades’ drones into the former 3 Cdn Div.
The MINERVA Initiative—beyond supplying the CAF with the UAS, UGS and ULS it needs in a changing combat environment—is also designed to send a message to Canadians, Canada’s allies and Canada’s adversaries about the CAF’s intent going forward.
“The Canadian government and the Canadian Armed Forces are serious about rebuilding capabilities, or building up capabilities for the first time, and that we’re actively and aggressively engaging Canadian industry,” Maj Bissonnette said.
Learn more about 3 Cdn Div modernization: Commander of the Canadian Army visits Edmonton and Wainwright, advancing 3rd Canadian Division’s transition to a Manoeuvre Division