MINERVA Initiative – Arctic Uncrewed Air System

*Please note that the ISC website will be available on August 13, 2026 at 10:30am EST.*

This Challenge Notice is issued under the Innovative Solutions Canada Program (ISC) Call for Proposals 004 (EN578-24ISC4). For general ISC information, Offerors can visit the ISC website at: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/101.nsf/eng/home

Please refer to the Solicitation Documents Innovative Solutions Canada Program Call for Proposals – 004 - Tender Notice | CanadaBuys https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/tender-opportunities/tender-notice/cb-3… which contains the process for submitting a proposal.

Here are a few things you need to know before you get started on your application to this challenge:
1. This challenge is only open to receive proposals for Phase 2 (prototype development) of our Challenge Stream.
- Proposed solutions that fall within technology readiness level (TRL) 5 and 9 can be submitted to this challenge:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovative-solutions-canada/en/isc-tec…
2. We recently made changes to the Challenge Stream; we have outlined the new parameters:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovative-solutions-canada/en/challen…

Steps to apply:
Step 1: Read this challenge.
Step 2: Read the Call for Proposals : https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/tender-opportunities/tender-notice/cb-3…
Step 3: Propose your solution here : https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovative-solutions-canada/en/minerva…

MINERVA Initiative – Arctic Uncrewed Air System

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Army (CA) requires an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in Arctic operational conditions that is domestically produced, easy to operate and maintain, and adequately rugged to enable the Canadian soldier to successfully fight and survive on the future battlefield.

Challenge sponsor:
Department of National Defense (DND)

Funding mechanism:
Contract

Opening date:
August 13, 2026

Closing date:
September 24, 2026, 14:00 Eastern time

Challenge
Problem statement
The Canadian Army (CA) soldier is facing an increasingly complex and dangerous battlespace in the future. A major element of the complexity and danger is the extreme cold weather conditions inherent in operations in the Arctic environment as the CA and Canadian Ranger (CR) executes responsibilities for sovereignty operations and Search and Rescue (SAR).
The CA presently lacks an UAS capable of conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in Arctic conditions. The CA requires an innovative uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) that provides an uncrewed alternative to gather information shareable with Other Government Departments (OGD) while operating in extreme cold weather conditions. This innovation must be simple, durable, and highly survivable providing soldiers with an effective capability for future conflicts that integrates seamlessly into operations while minimizing training and maintenance requirements, allowing soldiers to focus on their mission.

Desired outcomes and considerations

Essential (mandatory) outcomes

The proposed solution must:
1. Be composed of an:
i. Air vehicle: The airframe containing the onboard electronics, propulsion, and payload.
ii. Sensor payload: The equipment required for navigation and to complete a mission, such as cameras or imaging systems.
iii. Ground control station: The system (laptop, tablet, or handheld controller) used by the human operator to control flight and manage missions.
iv. Radio: The wireless system that connects the GCS to the UAS to transmit commands and receive telemetry/data.
v. Battery with charger: A battery for the UAS and a battery charger capable of charging multiple batteries simultaneously.
vi. Remote antenna: An external antenna placed 30m away from the GCS to enhance signal strength, reduce interference, and extend operational
range.
2. Operate in various weather conditions. At a minimum:
i. Operate in a temperature range of -40˚C and +40˚C;
ii. Operate in a minimum windspeed of up to 55 km/hr;
iii. Operate in light rain or snow ranging from 0.5mm/m²/hr; and
iv. Operate in moderate icing conditions ranging from 6 g/cm²/hr.
3. Have both a minimum operational radius of 20km and a minimum endurance of 90 min. in continuous movement.
4. Have a sensor that enables the operator to recognize¹ a target at a minimum distance under the following conditions:
i. Day: Person (180cm) at 0.5km, Vehicle (5m x 3m x 2m) at 1km
ii. Night: Person (180cm) at 0.25km, Vehicle (5m x 3m x2m) at 0.5km
5. Be stowable in a 240-litre container.
6. Have a maximum takeoff weight of no more than 25kg.
7. Be capable of operating at a minimum operational altitude of 1000 feet Above Ground Levels (AGL).
8. Allow for operability of the GCS while wearing winter gloves.

¹. “Recognize” is defined by the Johnson Criteria: Detection, Recognition, and Identification (DRI) are all guidelines that have been set in place by The Night Vision Thermal Imaging Systems Performance Model, also referred to as the Johnson criteria (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson%27s_criteria).

Additional Outcomes

The proposed solution should:
1. Be deployable from a stowed state to ready state in 30 minutes or less. This includes completing all tasks (i.e. unloading vehicle, loading/fueling the
power system and loading/configuring mission set) such that the vehicle is fully prepped and ready for launch.
2. Be capable of conducting vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) in a maximum area of 2 m².
3. Emit no more than 5 decibels Sound Pressure Level (dB SPL) of noise in all frequency ranges, measured at a 500m distance from the UAS.
4. Be capable of operating with fibre-optic wire, or an alternate non-Electromagnetic (EM) spectrum means.
5. Return to a pre-determined location, hover/loiter, and/or climb in case of loss of link.
6. Have an aggregated projected production cost of $60,000 CAD or less per system.
7. Have a Ground Control Station (GCS) that:
a. Incorporates a training simulation capability for Mission Planning.
b. Has a minimum remote antenna cable length of 50m.
c. Enables UAS navigation via both direct operator control and autonomously using waypoint navigation via the Global Navigation Satellite System
(GNSS).
d. Displays the following information:
i. Location of vehicle in 6 figure Military Grid Reference System (MGRS);
ii. Orientation of vehicle (pitch/roll/yaw);
iii. Point of aim of camera in 6 figure MGRS;
iv. Real-time full motion video feed;
v. Altitude in Metres above Sea Level (MSL); and
vi. Battery life.
e. Can interface with the Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) battle management system to push UAS Position Location Information (PLI) and target PLI.
8. Have an alternate non-electric or hybrid power system that does not rely solely on a battery (i.e. a gas-powered system or a gas/electric hybrid power system).
9. Demonstrate capacity in having its critical components produced and sourced in countries within the NATO alliance, NATO Partners or Major Non-NATO Allies (https://www.nato.int/en/what-we-do/partnerships-and-cooperation/natos-p…) . To achieve this, Offerors are requested to provide as an attachment to their proposal, a list identifying the solution's critical components, the country of production and sourcing for each component.

Critical components and requested information for each Critical components are defined in the table below:
Critical Components
1. Radio
2. Ground control station (GCS)
3.On-board computer
4. Any software

Requested Information
i. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM): Name of the original equipment manufacturer of the product being sourced
ii. OEM URL: Provide the URL of the OEM
iii. Software: Confirm if developed by Offeror or outsourced
iv. Product name: Provide the OEM’s product name
v. Model number: Provide the OEM’s model and/or version number of the product
vi. Product URL: Provide the URL of the OEM product, model, and version.
vii. Country of origin

Background and context
The Canadian Army is undergoing a generational modernization effort to address the evolving nature of technology, the changing character of conflict, and the unravelling of the geopolitical system. The transformative changes being made are conceptually described in the Canadian Army publication Inflection Point 2025. This document provides the broad context for modernization and directs the development and acquisition of key systems. It states: Key to this transformation is the integration of emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning, robotics, autonomous and uncrewed systems. These capabilities will support a wide range of functions, from intelligence analysis and predictive modeling to targeting and operational execution.

The Canadian Army, in recognizing this need, has purchased foreign robotics and autonomous systems of varying quality and has identified challenges purchasing systems that meet operational requirements, particularly related to cold-weather operations, and components that originate from stable supply chains. Furthermore, past procurements have been constrained by limited manufacturing capacity of industry partners.

To address this, the Government of Canada’s recently released policy Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, emphasizes the need to develop a strong domestic industrial capacity to produce defence materiel. This policy directs the Canadian Army to seek solutions to operational problems through Canadian industry, which will both improve the CA’s capability while providing the foundation of a strong defence industrial base able to scale production of quality defence material.

To date, engagements with Canadian industry have revealed a wide variety of small/medium companies that have commercial technologies that could, with
support, be tailored to military requirements.

Maximum contract value and travel
Phase 2
· Maximum funding: $500,000.00 CAD
· Project duration: Up to 15 months
· Estimated number of contracts: 5

This disclosure is made in good faith and does not commit Canada to award any contracts for the total approximate funding. Final decisions on the number of Phase 2 awards will be made by Canada based on factors such as evaluation results, departmental priorities, and availability of funds. The Government of Canada reserves the right to make partial awards and to negotiate project scope changes.

Note: Selected companies are eligible to receive one contracts per phase per challenge.

Travel
Travel to Suffield, Alberta for prototype demonstration

Kick-off meeting
All communication will take place by telephone or videoconference.

Progress review meeting(s)
Any progress review meetings will be conducted by telephone or videoconference.

Final review meeting
All communication will take place by telephone or videoconference.