By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA--Canada's research-and-development agency said it will purchase one of Bombardier's ultra long-range business jets to help accelerate the country's capacity to produce cutting-edge drones.

The National Research Council of Canada said the jet acquisition was part of planned spending totaling 900 million Canadian dollars, or the equivalent of $663 million, aimed at supporting the domestic defense sector. Canadian officials said they expect total spending related to the military--from procurement to investments in defense-related infrastructure--will total about C$500 billion by 2035, as the country races to meet spending thresholds set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The majority of the planned spending will be allocated toward expanding domestic capacity in drone and aerospace technologies. The research agency intends to create a so-called drone innovation hub, and purchase a Bombardier Global 6500 for defense-related technology development.

"This investment will help to advance defence and dual-use technologies to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with cutting-edge solutions while reinforcing a resilient, globally competitive defence industrial base," Canada's defense minister David McGuinty said.

Last year, the Canadian government said it would acquire a half-dozen Bombardier Global 6500 models to support missions such as medical evacuations and national-security operations.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 09, 2026 13:04 ET (17:04 GMT)

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