Canadian innovation, Ukrainian expertise build minefield breaching capabilities
November 17, 2025 - Defence Stories
Estimated read time – 2:15
By: Pascal-Olivier Ouandji
Communication Advisor | Outreach and Engagement team | Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security Program | Defence Research and Development Canada
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Ukrainian and Canadian sappers observe the IDEaS minefield breaching demonstration at CFB Gagetown from October 6-9, 2025.
Ukrainian Sappers brought their frontline experience to a recent demonstration event that presented new concepts to help the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) clear minefields and make routes safer during minefield breaching operations.
In October, Ukrainian Sappers visited Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown to bring their knowledge to a minefield breaching demonstration event being held by the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program. Their presence at the event helped advance research and strengthen relationships with our Ukrainian allies.
"Hearing directly from Sappers who have led mine-clearing operations under fire reminds everyone that these technologies are not theoretical, and they are urgently needed on today’s battlefield,” said defence scientist Marie-Pierre Raymond, who coordinated the Ukrainian involvement on the ground.
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In a gesture of solidarity, the Canadian team donated mini hockey sticks and nets to a school in Pavlograd, Ukraine, helping children find moments of play even during.
Minefield breaching missions in Ukraine are complicated by booby traps, improvised explosive devices being dropped from drones overhead, as well as unexploded shells and explosives on the ground. With each attack and retreat, the minefields grow in scale, reaching up to 30 kilometres deep in some points.
Together with Canadian innovators, CAF engineers, and international partners, members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian National Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Department were able to assess which technologies funded through the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program’s Safer passage during minefield breaching operations in Ukraine challenge could be viable under battlefield conditions.
Two technologies, (a detection system and a foam-based mine deactivation mechanism) drew particular attention, with Ukrainians expressing interest in testing them in operations. In fact, the Ukrainian Sappers brought samples of the foam product, dubbed “Agent F’ back to Ukraine, to test on actual mines in the field.
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Innovators tested their minefield-breaching solutions at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. These technologies could help Ukraine and protect Canadian Armed Forces members in future missions.
The demonstration event was designed by subject matter experts from Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and the Canadian Army Test and Evaluation Unit (CATEU). Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence, Natasha Kim attended and spoke of the DND/CAF’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation partnerships and learning from Ukraine’s extensive operational experience.
Ukrainian Sappers also delivered four briefings to CAF engineers and students, sharing battlefield innovation practices and insights into Russian and Ukrainian engineering tactics. In their briefings to Canadian engineers, they reinforced the need for agile, scalable, and soldier-centred innovation, sharing firsthand insights into which technologies are truly functional in high-intensity warfare.
The Ukrainian delegation also visited the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME) and 4 Engineer Support Regiment, observing bridging operations. Coincidentally, their time in Canada aligned with preparations for Exercise ARDENT DEFENDER, Canada’s annual multinational Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) exercise, and the experiences have already influenced several training vignettes.
IDEaS is now exploring the possibility of new initiatives on minefield breaching. The CFB Gagetown event demonstrated how innovation and operational experience go hand in hand, ensuring that new technologies are valuable for those who risk their lives daily to clear the way for others.