Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[KevinB]

if we really want a lethality increase, I'd be sole souring these from FN right now. With a 40% reduction in weight these .50 cal's would be around 31 pounds, 14 Kg for us metric folks. Which is only a little heavier then C6, suddenly it truly would be man portable!

FN launches lighter-variant .50 cal crew-served weapon system - European Security & Defence

FN has developed a new lightweight variant of its widely fielded .50 cal crew-served weapon system, the company announced on 10 June 2025.

euro-sd.com

Distrust and verify anything by FN...

 

[Retired AF Guy]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-signing-onto-european-rearment-deal-eu-canada-summit-1.7560891

France likes us. I think they think we are their little bro.

As long as we don't buy their submarines!!

 

[Czech_pivo]

As long as we don't buy their submarines!!

Maybe the Ozzie’s can get a goood deal on some…..

 

[Castus]

if we really want a lethality increase, I'd be sole souring these from FN right now. With a 40% reduction in weight these .50 cal's would be around 31 pounds, 14 Kg for us metric folks. Which is only a little heavier then C6, suddenly it truly would be man portable!

FN launches lighter-variant .50 cal crew-served weapon system - European Security & Defence

FN has developed a new lightweight variant of its widely fielded .50 cal crew-served weapon system, the company announced on 10 June 2025.

euro-sd.com

The .50 is man portable. Just, not very comfortably.

 

[Kirkhill]

Defence and security will be an underlying theme at the G7 forum in Kananaskis, Alta., where all but one of the member countries also belong to the NATO military alliance, which is poised to cement a new defence spending pact at The Hague one week later.

The G7 includes Canada, the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, France and Italy.

As it hosts G7, Canada under pressure to further boost military spending by tens of billions

Hiking defence spending to 3.5% of GDP would require an additional $45-billion to $50-billion each year

www.theglobeandmail.com

I take exception.

While Eastern Europe feels the pressure Western Europe, which includes Italy, France and Britain, is doing its best to dodge the ramp up.

Those countries are heavily indebted, as is Canada, which seems to be singing from the same songbook.

Germany is engaging but it is the only one of the G7 that has manageable debt levels.

Japan is the most heavily indebted, but, like the US, and Eastern Europe feels itself to be under threat.

....

Canada, Britain, France, Italy
US, Japan
Whither Germany?

Carney will promise.

 

[Maxman1]

If someone is looking for something to spend a few billion on instead of pay raises, here's my vote for at least four battalions of these.

.

If only four battalions, that would be just RCR and PPCLI?

 

[KevinB]

If only four battalions, that would be just RCR and PPCLI?

You have 9 Reg BN’s

3 are Light

6 are LAV

4 CV would allow for 2 true Mech Inf Bde’s
Then cast 4 LAV down to the PRes (if not made hybrid before that)

So you would have
1 Mech Div
2 Mech Bde and 1 LAV Bde

1 Light Div
2 Light Bde and 1 LAV Bde.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I tried to find details on the system but there isn't much due to it being very new and the origin country being in an active war, but I don't see why it couldn't be scaled up to stuff bigger than an M2. The base model right now appears to be very compact, enough so that it could be slapped on to a bunch of different modes of transport on the ground and water.

Few more tidbits can be found in this article.

Sky Sentinel: Ukraine to produce anti-aircraft turrets for intercepting drones and cruise missiles - Militarnyi

The fully automated Sky Sentinel turret has already shot down the first Russian drones and is preparing for serial production.

militarnyi.com

The WWII equivalent went from 4x .50cals to twin 20mm

Canada could be working on cheap SHORAD systems, it would be well within our capabilities and supply them to Ukraine and then improving them with feedback. Mount some them on Roshel products for a complete Canadian package.

 

[FJAG]

If only four battalions, that would be just RCR and PPCLI?

You have 9 Reg BN’s

3 are Light

6 are LAV

4 CV would allow for 2 true Mech Inf Bde’s
Then cast 4 LAV down to the PRes (if not made hybrid before that)

So you would have
1 Mech Div
2 Mech Bde and 1 LAV Bde

1 Light Div
2 Light Bde and 1 LAV Bde.

Says he, tongue in cheek - not the PPCLI - the "Light" in PPCLI should be honoured by having the RCR and PPCLI trade bases and have a light PPCLI bde in Pet.

Seriously though, @KevinB nails it the way that I'm thinking.

 

[MilEME09]

The WWII equivalent went from 4x .50cals to twin 20mm

Canada could be working on cheap SHORAD systems, it would be well within our capabilities and supply them to Ukraine and then improving them with feedback. Mount some them on Roshel products for a complete Canadian package.

A single or double 25 or 30mm cannon with a FCS and radar is really all you need especially for counter drone. Make it palitized so any LVM-H or mack truck can become a CUAS vehicle.

 

[Maxman1]

You have 9 Reg BN’s

3 are Light

6 are LAV

4 CV would allow for 2 true Mech Inf Bde’s
Then cast 4 LAV down to the PRes (if not made hybrid before that)

So you would have
1 Mech Div
2 Mech Bde and 1 LAV Bde

1 Light Div
2 Light Bde and 1 LAV Bde.

What I was getting at was if we only got enough for four battalions, it would be 1&2 RCR, 1&2 PPCLI, and none for Van Doos.

 

[daftandbarmy]

What I was getting at was if we only got enough for four battalions, it would be 1&2 RCR, 1&2 PPCLI, and none for Van Doos.

 

[Brad Sallows]

A single or double 25 or 30mm cannon with a FCS and radar is really all you need especially for counter drone. Make it palitized so any LVM-H or mack truck can become a CUAS vehicle.

For anti-drone use, why a weight above small arms? Just in case heavier targets present, or for the heavier classes of drone that predate what we've seen since the start of Russia's invasion? Lighter weight would make it more widely useable.

 

[Maxman1]

Why not twin 35mm?

 

[HavokFour]

For anti-drone use, why a weight above small arms? Just in case heavier targets present, or for the heavier classes of drone that predate what we've seen since the start of Russia's invasion? Lighter weight would make it more widely useable.

The Garan-2 for example, has a maximum flight altitude of around 4000 meters currently. Going to need more oomf to reach that if you don't want to waste a much more expensive missile on something that is significantly cheaper.

 

[CBH99]

Why not twin 35mm?

1000% percent - I think systems like this are going to make a comeback in a big way

Throw a modern radar on it & some sort of modern fire control system, and these would be extremely effective against drones & low flying aircraft



(I saw one in action at an air show in Cold Lake when I was a teenager, and frig it was cool. Set off car alarms like a kilometer away! And that whole delay between seeing it unleash hell & then hearing it and FEELING IT a few brief moments later...AWESOME!)

 

[CBH99]

What I was getting at was if we only got enough for four battalions, it would be 1&2 RCR, 1&2 PPCLI, and none for Van Doos.

I second @daftandbarmy on this... GOOD!

(You seen how them Frenchies treat their kit?? Geepers...)

 

[MilEME09]

1000% percent - I think systems like this are going to make a comeback in a big way

Throw a modern radar on it & some sort of modern fire control system, and these would be extremely effective against drones & low flying aircraft



(I saw one in action at an air show in Cold Lake when I was a teenager, and frig it was cool. Set off car alarms like a kilometer away! And that whole delay between seeing it unleash hell & then hearing it and FEELING IT a few brief moments later...AWESOME!)

Pretty much, everything old is new again, twin 35mm either mounted or dismounted guns could work well

 

[CBH99]

Distrust and verify anything by FN...

Why??

 

[FJAG]

What I was getting at was if we only got enough for four battalions, it would be 1&2 RCR, 1&2 PPCLI, and none for Van Doos.

Regardless of unit names, if I was using the existing laydown of the army, I would put the four IFV battalions onto the Prairies - two each in Edmonton/Wainwright and two each in Shilo/Winnipeg. The divisions LAV brigade I would station in southern Ontario. These would all be hybrid brigades and form one division earmarked for expeditionary missions.

Valcartier would form the nucleus of the second LAV brigade while Montreal the nucleus of a light brigade - both hybrid. A third, light brigade would be at Petawawa and be primarily full-timers. These would form the nucleus of a "Defence of Canada" force.

To round things out each of the east and west coasts would have "regimental" sized forces aimed primarily at defence of naval bases and coastal watch/defence forces - hybrid.

Lastly, and by no means least would be several CS and CSS brigades spread around the country - some as parts of the two divisions or as part of a Forces Command structure allowing attachment to either, or both, field divisions.

This laydown is to maximize the use of existing training areas, especially the larger ones out west. I've been looking to see if a new training area could be laid down somewhere between Montreal and Toronto so as to bring major training capabilities closer to our maximum population centres and can only come up with two possibilities - expand Petawawa into NE Algonquin Park or take over Frontenac Provincial park just north of Kingston. The latter would be handier, but would require expropriations greater than those used to build Gagetown. Those are probably none starters so one should perhaps concentrate on expropriating much smaller training areas very close to each of Toronto and Montreal allowing day training for small arms ranges and very limited (coy or less) basic manoeuvre training.

Canada screwed itself in deciding where to build and/or retain larger training areas by removing them too far from major population centres.