Small Update On The Canadian Deep Precision Strike Capability Initative

Noah Note

We have a small update for today! Canadian Joint Forces Command held an Industry Day today for the Canadian Deep Precision Strike Capability (CDPSC), the CAFs newest initative to acquire an Affordable, Canadian Long-Range Precision Strike Capability. The Initative was shadowdropped the other week, which we wrote about here.

While there wasn't a whole lot new here, I thought it was in interest to at least put out a quick roundup of what went on and what was said, even if the amount of new information is fairly limited. I still thinks its valuable in getting information out there.

The session laid out a two phase structure for CDPSC. The first phase will be a Buy or Partner procurement, with an RFP expected in mid-to-late September 2026 and initial operating capability targeted for June 2027.

This would focus on acquiring a limitied, Off-The-Shelf Deep Strike Capability (likely foreign) that could be rapidly onboarded within the next year. The stated concept is a cost-effective effector that can carry significant payload and hit strategic targets at low cost.

The second phase will follow with a wholly sovereign Canadian capability to be pursued through a separate RFP in the 2027-2028 window. This will be a Proper, Canadian system that will support a domestic production capacity, woth IP under Canadian-Control through either a Canadian-Designed system or a Canadian/Foreign Venture through licensing and information sharing. Information gathered through the first procurement will inform the second, but they are distinct competitions.

The RFP itself is expected to be deliberately vague, and proponents were told to demonstrate how their initial offering can support the longer-term sovereign procurement. The approval for CDPSC runs through the Drone Development Initiative Marketplace RFSA. Any OEM that wants into the CDPSC RFP must submit under Stream 5 of that RFSA, which we remind everyone closes on August 14th at 2:00 PM Eastern.

Vendor review runs from mid-August through September. To reiterate to those of you looking to bid, Phase I is restricted to high-TRL or off-the-shelf solutions, with no developmental systems. Lower-TRL developers are the intended pool for the second phase, where CJFC wants to bring emerging systems through to operationalization.

The requirements remain fairly the same as we previously reported. The proposed system needs a minimum 500 kilometres range and a minimum payload of 100 kilograms. More though is better, and Longer-Range systems will be prioritized. Resilience in electronically contested/GNSS-disrupted environments is also asked about.

The requirements of potential munitions will be defined in the RFP, and DRDC may play a direct role in payload development. The session was keen to mark CDPSC as a middle solution to Canada’s future Deep Sense-Strike Complex. It will be cheaper, more expendable, and Soverign compared to planned higher strike systems like Vruise Missiles, PRSM, etc while also being more capable and larger than most existing One-Way Effectors and Loitering Munitions.

Canadian Army Loitering Munitions at a Lower-End, then modernized artillery through IFM, potential DDIM Strike Systems, CDPSC in the high-middle and then finally the Long-Range Precision Strike family (HIMARS, Tomahawk, JSM/NSM, JASSM/LRASM) round out Canada's layered STRIKE complex providing integrated fires from 5-1500+ Kilometers.

The sovereign track is scoped around a component list that aims to build the foundation of an effector industrial base in Canada. That list includes:

1. Propulsion and Advanced Materials

2. Alternative Positioning

3. Navigation and Timing

4. Autonomy and Computer Vision

5. Mission Datalinks

6. Electronic Warfare Resilience and Cybersecurity

7. Payload Integration and Launch Systems

8. Test, Evaluation and Simulation Infrastructure

The stated goal is again a completely Canadian integrated system. Canadian-led joint ventures are eligible, with a degree of Canadian ownership expected, and co-production and co-design with other countries will be considered. As of now it seems bloody well encouraged in the early and mid stages. Intellectual property frameworks sit in the RFSA itself, and future RFPs may carry more restrictive IP requirements than the arrangement's baseline.

Early phases are expected to be financed through CDIR, BOREALIS and DISH, with innovation incentivized through grants and contributions until solutions mature. The capability is being built outside the named capital programme structure entirely. Final IOC is expected around June 2029/2030

Several questions remain open at this time. Most of the actual capabilities, requirements, and technical details will only be discussed when the RFP is released. CJFC expressed no preference between ground and air-launched options, or both if they feel frisky. They just want something. Launcher signature requirements will fall to the Army to define. Integration with the Munitions Supply Program is undefined for now.

As of now? There isn't too much to go off of here, outside the very tight timeline for introduction. The expectations is to go from RFP to Initial Capability within nine months. That alone is an insane ask, pushed through by the acceptance of an Off-The-Shelf system and the Initative working outside the existing project ecosystem.

It is a very tight ask, especially as we discussed last week available, OTS options for this class of system are very limited. There is a convergence on 50kg payload systems that many of our allies have sorta fallen to, eith the expextation that after that longer-range systems can be explored. We're starting to see bits of that now.

However beyond 100kg payloads, beyond 500km systems are very hard to come by, and not exactly running around as systems readily available to be acquired. There is a heavy lean here, as we mentioned before with DDIM requirements, to explore Ukrainian collaboration opprotunities.

That is perhaps the most abundant market to explore licensing and joint ventures, especially as Ukraine has begun opening itself up to supporting defence exports. That added political benefit, and marketability, of showcasing a Canadian-Ukrainian Strike System is not lost on me, nor on some of those on the procurement side.

So for Phase I, my initial look is Ukrainian, with a healthy glance to what allies could come around with. Sadly, many potential options, like Destinus, are likely out of Phase I given the desire for an available system that can be quixkly deployed within the next nine months. That puts pressure on most emerging systems out there like MBDA Crossbow who are just making a potential cutoff, and could easily miss it.

We'll see, of course, when the RFP drops what systems better align. I feel the RFP for Phase I will very much be geared a certain way, with certain solutions in mind. Only it can tell us that, but at this stage? I'm thinking we'll know when it drops.