Canada, Ukraine to jointly produce defense tech, part of ‘100-year partnership’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (R) listens to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as they meet in Calgary, Alberta, on September 10, 2026. (Photo by Jeff McIntosh / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

MILAN — Canada and Ukraine have signed a long-term defense agreement to jointly produce uncrewed technologies, counter-drone systems, and munitions, as Kyiv’s need for more weaponry grows amid intensifying Russian attacks.

During a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Calgary, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday a series of deals to support the war-torn country as part of a “100-year partnership.”

“Canada and Ukraine are forging a long-term, government-to-government partnership to jointly produce uncrewed systems, counter-drone technologies and priority munitions — combining Ukrainian battlefield experience with Canadian manufacturing, software and AI,” Carney’s office said in a statement .

One of the new partnerships is between Canada’s General Dynamics Mission Systems and Ukraine-based Green Tech Harvest, which signed an agreement to explore co-producing “Ukrainian-designed” drones, per a company press release .

In addition, Canada pledged to invest approximately $350 million to purchase air defense interceptors via the US-led Joint Ukraine Multinational Program, also known as JUMPSTART. Under this mechanism, allies can finance the procurement of military equipment, services, or training for Ukraine based on its requirements to defend itself against Russia.

“I am grateful to Canada for the new defense package. Above all, it will strengthen our air defense — both our Patriots and our combat aircraft […], Zelensky wrote on X, noting that 21 Ukrainian pilots are being trained in Canada, part of what he called a “significant reinforcement.”

While specific details on how the drone cooperation will work were sparse, the Ukrainian president added in another post that, as part of the new deal, “Canada is ready to place large orders” and that “30% of the production [of drones] will be transferred to Ukraine.”

Localizing tactical communications for sovereign, NATO-ready C3I

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During a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, held in Kyiv on Tuesday, Ukraine’s new defense minister Yevhenii Khmara said that the country was falling short of $27 billion in funding for drone supplies.

Ottawa further committed to spend $23 million to strengthen Kyiv’s ability to “detect, prevent, and respond to hybrid threats” affecting civilian safety. The Canadian government document says the funding will support the country’s police, national guard, and military needs, as well as help fight disinformation.

Canada’s New Defense Drone Marketplace

The Canadian government also unveiled on Thursday a new digital drone marketplace modelled after Ukraine’s government-backed defense tech cluster Brave1 , which serves as a coordination platform to fast-track military innovation.

“The Defense Drone Initiative Marketplace Supply Arrangement will ensure the reliable, rapid, and continuous supply of drones for the Canadian Armed Forces and Coast Guard — allies will have privileged access to 400 trusted Canadian suppliers,” Carney said.

The project will act as a sort of procurement portal for drone and counter-drone capabilities by connecting operators and customers to the Canadian defense industry. The government has awarded up to $50 million in initial contracts to six national companies manufacturing primarily unmanned ground vehicles and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance drones.

This funding is intended to increase the number of drones deployed by the CAF tenfold.

2026年9月10日，加拿大总理马克·卡尼（右）在加拿大阿尔伯塔省卡尔加里会见乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基时聆听其讲话。（图片来源：Jeff McIntosh / POOL / AFP via Getty Images）

米兰——随着俄罗斯袭击的加剧，基辅对更多武器的需求日益增长，加拿大和乌克兰签署了一项长期防务协议，共同生产无人技术、反无人机系统和弹药。

乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基访问卡尔加里期间，加拿大总理马克·卡尼周四宣布了一系列协议，以支持这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家，作为“百年伙伴关系”的一部分。

卡尼办公室在一份声明中表示：“加拿大和乌克兰正在建立长期的政府间伙伴关系，共同生产无人系统、反无人机技术和优先弹药——将乌克兰的战场经验与加拿大的制造、软件和人工智能相结合。”

其中一项新的合作关系是加拿大通用动力任务系统公司与乌克兰绿色科技收获公司之间的合作，双方签署了一项协议，探索共同生产“乌克兰设计”的无人机，公司新闻稿中如此写道。

此外，加拿大承诺投资约3.5亿美元，通过美国主导的“乌克兰联合多国计划”（又称“JUMPSTART”）购买防空拦截机。根据该机制，盟国可以根据乌克兰抵御俄罗斯威胁的需求，为其采购军事装备、服务或培训提供资金。

“我感谢加拿大提供的新国防方案。最重要的是，它将加强我们的防空能力——包括我们的爱国者导弹系统和作战飞机[…]，”泽连斯基在X网站上写道，并指出有21名乌克兰飞行员正在加拿大接受训练，这是他所说的“重大增援”的一部分。

虽然关于无人机合作将如何运作的具体细节很少，但乌克兰总统在另一篇帖子中补充说，作为新协议的一部分，“加拿大准备下大订单”，并且“30%的无人机产量将转移到乌克兰”。

为主权、符合北约标准的C3I系统实现战术通信本地化

除了对外销售，拉斐尔的模式还实现了技术转让和本地工程，并为北约合作伙伴提供了一个模板。

周二在基辅举行的乌克兰国防联络小组会议上，乌克兰新任国防部长叶夫根尼·赫马拉表示，该国在无人机物资供应方面资金缺口高达 270 亿美元。

渥太华进一步承诺拨款2300万美元，以加强基辅“侦测、预防和应对影响平民安全的混合威胁”的能力。加拿大政府文件称，这笔资金将用于支持该国的警察、国民警卫队和军队的需求，并帮助打击虚假信息。

加拿大新的国防无人机市场

加拿大政府周四还推出了一个新的数字无人机市场，该市场以乌克兰政府支持的国防技术集群 Brave1 为蓝本，Brave1 是一个协调平台，旨在加速军事创新。

卡尼表示：“国防无人机计划市场供应安排将确保为加拿大武装部队和海岸警卫队提供可靠、快速和持续的无人机供应——盟友将享有优先权，可从 400 家值得信赖的加拿大供应商处采购。”

该项目将作为一个无人机和反无人机能力的采购平台，连接运营商、客户和加拿大国防工业。政府已向六家主要生产无人地面车辆以及情报、侦察和监视无人机的加拿大本土公司授予了高达5000万美元的首批合同。

这笔资金旨在使加拿大武装部队部署的无人机数量增加十倍。