Canada eyes Turkish drones in major defence policy shift

When Canada imposed an arms sales ban on Türkiye in 2019 over Ankara’s military incursion into Syria, Turkish drone manufacturers Baykar and TAI were among the hardest hit.

Both companies had been using electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) camera systems produced by Canadian firm L3Harris Wescam. The embargo forced them to seek alternative suppliers, including domestic producers. Today, Türkiye has developed multiple local manufacturers of such systems, Middle East Eye reports.

Now, seven years later, the same country that once restricted Turkish drone technology is considering purchasing Turkish military drones.

“Canada is interested in purchasing medium-altitude, long-endurance drones for surveillance purposes,” one official told Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity. The official said the discussions were still at an early stage and may not materialise, but added that the shift in tone under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was clear.

The Canadian embassy in Ankara has not commented on the reports.

Speaking in Istanbul during a panel discussion, Canadian Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr said Canada was open to closer defence cooperation with Türkiye in areas where it has strong capabilities.

In a separate interview with Defense News, Fuhr pointed to ammunition production, drones and counter-drone systems as key areas for potential collaboration, adding that future cooperation could include joint development programmes rather than off-the-shelf purchases.

Ankara has previously engaged in similar partnerships with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine in drone development projects involving localisation and shared production.

A source familiar with Ottawa’s thinking said Türkiye should “thank” US President Donald Trump for Canada’s shift, arguing that Carney no longer fully trusts the security umbrella provided by Washington.

“Canadians don’t want to rely on American weapons anymore; they would like to diversify,” the official said.

Fuhr also said Canada is seeking to strengthen its defence capabilities as Washington changes its traditional posture, adding that Ottawa is investing heavily to meet NATO’s 2% defence spending target.

Canada is also planning a $105 million investment over three years to establish a drone innovation hub at the National Research Council.

Carney is expected to visit Türkiye during the NATO summit in Ankara in July, with a separate bilateral visit reportedly planned for October, during which defence cooperation initiatives may be launched.

“You will see our prime minister coming here a couple of times in the near future to demonstrate how interested we are and how committed we are to working more bilaterally with Türkiye moving forward,” Fuhr said.

He added that procurement delays in the defence sector remain a major challenge.

“You end up with something that is slow and irrelevant,” Fuhr said. “So we are very motivated to move quickly… and I’m seeing tangible results from that.”

By Vafa Guliyeva