Calgary expertise helps drive battlefield drone breakthrough

Technology contained in 20-foot shipping containers could be key to controlling the drone battlefield — and a team of Calgary engineers is at the centre of its development, say proponents.

The StarForge system allows its operators to produce and repair 3D printer combat drones, scan the skies for attack and summon the right kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles to meet threats — all from one site, said Ed Zimmerman, chief technical officer with Quebec-based Sentinel Advanced Military Solutions (SAMS).

“It’s deployable with advanced radar effective in an area 10 kilometres in diameter to determine if hostile drones are flying into that area and we’re able to operate those drones,” he said.

“It enables all this to operate in austere environments like the desert and the Arctic.”

Partnering with SAMS on the project is the Canadian subsidiary of U.S.-based aerospace and military technology giant Lockheed Martin, whose team of Calgary-based engineers is an integral part of StarForge’s development, said Zimmerman.

“The Calgary component can’t really be overstated. The knowledge and experience is enormously valuable,” he said.

To create this self-contained defence ecosystem deploying 30 different drone designs is a $10-million research infusion from Lockheed Martin into the University of Alberta.

But a Lockheed Martin/Skunk Works official said their initiatives also support an internship program at the University of Calgary while benefiting from local expertise in developing software for StarForge.

“Our Lockheed Martin Canada/Skunk Works team in Calgary brings diverse expertise to the project, with six-plus engineers on staff and a calibre of talent that is hard to match within our market,” Michael Baker, general manager for the effort in Calgary, said in an email.

“Industry and community leadership is important to our team, and numerous Calgary employees have supported successful university drone programs and industry collaborations that drive innovation in our software capabilities.”

Not surprisingly, said Zimmerman, the consortium has closely followed rapidly evolving drone warfare in the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Persian Gulf. In light of Russia’s use of high-speed jet-propelled drones, the need for effective interceptors has grown, he added.

Even so, StarForge’s developers are keenly aware its users might be fighting a war under very different conditions, he said.

“We’ve been in communication with a number of different groups in Ukraine and the Canadian Forces personnel working in Ukraine,” said Zimmerman.

“The design systems are not necessarily for use in the Ukraine-type of experience.”

Initially, the system’s drones would be used as unarmed interceptors attacking other drones simply by smashing into them, but adding warheads later is probable, he said.

Surveillance and logistic drones — the latter capable of carrying ammunition and medical supplies — are also being studied, said Zimmerman, who emphasized its capabilities are of a defensive posture.

But it’s the advanced self-sufficiency of the system that makes it most valuable and remarkable, he said.

“The ability to supply itself independent of conventional supply chains sounds pretty science fiction,” said Zimmerman.

The system is also able to become operational within hours of its arrival in even the most inhospitable locales, say its proponents.

And its development is moving at a pace that befits the rapid evolution of drone warfare, said Zimmerman.

“Drones become obsolete very, very quickly and designs and tactics are changing monthly, even weekly and this is about building drones at the point of need, where and when you need them,” he said.

“It’s something we can update continuously from the cloud.”

The concept for StarForge preceded Ottawa’s announcement earlier this year of its intent to dramatically increase defence with $180 billion in defence procurement over the next decade, but Zimmerman and Baker say they’re ready to be part of that push.

They’re also capable of contributing to the requirements of a defence pact centred on drones signed in Calgary last month by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Baker.

The U.S. Marine Corps is now testing and training on the StarForge, they said.

Zimmerman said he’s well aware of concerns among Canadians about developing defence technology here for use by a country that’s repeatedly threatened Canadian sovereignty.

The strong collaboration that continues to exist between the U.S. and Canadian militaries will outlive a president, while the consortium expects to ultimately count the Canadian Armed Forces as a client, said Zimmerman.

“I’m not trying to minimize the rhetoric but it’s not something that should be able to dictate our higher-order strategies,” he said.

“The militaries are highly integrated and I’ve yet to observe anything political . . . stopping the collaboration the way it’s been will not bring value.”

Said Baker: “As an industry partner in Canada for over 85 years, our Lockheed Martin Canada teams remain focused on supporting the Canadian government and allies to deliver strategic deterrence and security solutions.”

Zimmerman said trials of StarForge are expected to be conducted next spring in the Baltic countries, considered frontline states as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to rage.

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