RCMP restricts use of its Chinese-made drones — the vast majority of its fleet

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is limiting the use of its 973 Chinese-made drones to non-sensitive operations, stating the devices present “high security risks, primarily due to their country of origin.”

Chinese drones make up about 80 per cent of the federal police force’s fleet of 1,230 remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), which are used to monitor the Canada-U.S. border and in various police operations.

In a written response to the national security committee of the Senate, the RCMP said replacing the drones would cost over $30 million, approximately $35,000 per device. The high cost is related to the fact that non-Chinese drones are nearly twice as expensive, the RCMP said.

The RCMP’s concerns flow from potential risks related to the drone’s communication and data-transmission systems, experts said.

“Any connected device raises questions about security vulnerabilities,” said Ygal Bendavid, a professor specialized in operations management at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Wesley Wark of the Centre for International Governance Innovation said the RCMP seems to have found the right solutions to its use of Chinese drones, adding that “mitigation after the fact is always a second-best option.”

For now, the RCMP is restricting the drones’ in-flight transmission of data and dedicating them to “non-sensitive operations,” such as those involving missing persons, car thefts and community policing.

The RCMP said it never uses Chinese drones for activities involving emergency response teams, the protection of VIPs such as ministers and foreign dignitaries, border integrity operations and investigations with U.S. authorities.

For these more sensitive operations, the RCMP relies on 112 French drones, 96 from the United States and 24 from Belgium. It does not use any Canadian drones, according to the response to questions from Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan.

The RCMP says the Chinese drones were purchased before it began restricting their use in 2023. It says the devices offer significant savings in time and money, especially compared to planes or helicopters.

“The use of RPAS is a cost-effective alternative to deploying a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft for investigative operations, and they can access difficult locations, saving time and money by directing police resources to the right locations,” said the RCMP in its response to the Senate committee.

Experts said the RCMP needs to be cautious when it comes to Chinese drones, given it cannot vouch for the origin of thousands of parts, software and data-storage systems.

“The concern is legitimate and as a precautionary measure, they have to be careful,” said Bendavid.

Wark said that the RCMP seems to have purchased drones “without much thought to strategic needs or security issues.”

“In future, all drone purchases by federal agencies for security purposes should be centralized and security vulnerability tests should be performed on them as a matter of course,” Wark said.

“Purchases of small drones for security purposes should prioritize Canadian manufacturers and supply chains.”