Canada’s 5% NATO Defence Pledge: What It Means for the Drone Industry
In June, Canada joined its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies in signing a new Defence Investment Pledge, committing to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. Announced at the NATO summit in The Hague, the pledge is a direct response to growing global instability and is intended to reinforce collective security, modernize armed forces, and build national defence capacity at home.
The spending is divided into two categories:
- 3.5% of GDP toward core military capabilities, such as equipment, force development, and modernization.
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1.5% toward infrastructure and critical systems, including ports, bases, telecommunications, and dual-use assets supporting both military and civilian readiness.
This represents the most significant increase in Canada’s defence spending in decades and it comes at a time when the global drone industry is rapidly expanding. Drones have become a cornerstone of modern defence, valued for their flexibility, lower operational costs, and ability to support a wide range of missions.
For defence and aerospace contractors, this creates a window of opportunity. Canada will need to quickly adopt platforms and systems that are operationally flexible, cost-effective, and deployable across multiple mission types, from surveillance and Arctic operations to infrastructure monitoring and disaster response.
For Canada, this is an opportunity to align new spending with proven technologies that enhance surveillance, logistics, and emergency response. It’s also a chance to strengthen national capabilities, support the domestic drone sector, and reinforce border security through smarter, faster tools built for today’s operational demands.
As Canada moves to expand its surveillance capabilities, improve readiness in remote regions, and modernize infrastructure response, the HT-100 offers real-world utility: long-range ISR, autonomous resupply, Arctic patrol, and rapid deployment without fixed airfields. Its endurance, payload capacity, and operational reliability make it a strong fit for missions aligned with the government’s dual-use investment priorities, defence capability that also supports emergency response and civil protection.
Learn how AeroVision is preparing to support this transition with the ANAVIA HT-100, a next-generation VTOL drone platform purpose-built for defence and public safety applications.
