Canadian testing of pilotless planes takes flight
The federal government will spend up to $3 million this summer testing a pilotless, high-tech plane, with a view to spending $200 million to buy a fleet of the drones over the next decade.
The test flights, conducted out of the military base in Goose Bay, Labrador, will take place in the skies over Nunavut, Labrador and New Brunswick. The test flights will involve drones â satellite-controlled airplanes about the size of a single-engine Cessna.
Canadian Forces are looking for an aircraft that will fly at about 15,000 metres for up to 50 hours, using specialized sensors and cameras to collect data and photos of what's going on below.
There are three different models in the running. Lt.-Col. Stephen Newton of the Canadian Forces Experimentation Centre says the Goose Bay test flights this summer will help decide which one best meets Canada's needs.
The drones will fly over the Labrador Sea, trying to spot icebergs and foreign fishing vessels. They will also take part in a mock search and rescue over Nunavut and track troop movements in New Brunswick.
- FROM NOV. 6, 2003: U.S. military seeks made-in-Canada robotic technology
Ben Works of the Strategic Issues Institute in Washington says Canada is playing catch-up when it comes to unstaffed aircraft.
"Everybody is getting into the game now that they've seen them field-tested in Afghanistan and Iraq â seen them grow very rapidly in their missions. They're still not perfect, but it is the wave of the future."
Planes are now being designed that will fly on longer-range missions and are able to stay aloft for up to a week, Works added.
The Goose Bay testing will last for about four weeks, starting in August.