The RCMP is facing new heat after an internal review revealed the force spent millions on a fleet of China-made drones now flagged as “high security risks,” leaving taxpayers on the hook for as much as $34 million to replace them.Blacklock's Reporter says the Senate national security committee was told the current replacement drones cost more than twice the Chinese models, which ran between $31,000 and $35,000 each. With 973 Chinese-made units already in the fleet, the Mounties warned that taxpayers could be looking at a bill between $30.2 million and $34.1 million to swap them out.The Mounties operate 1,228 remotely piloted aircraft systems nationwide. According to the report, 79% of those drones — 973 aircraft — came from Chinese suppliers and are considered “high security risks” due to data handling, supply chain concerns and overall vulnerability. The remainder of the fleet includes 112 drones from France, 96 from the U.S. and 24 from Belgium. None were Canadian made..A 2023 RCMP directive restricted use of China-made drones to “non-sensitive operations” and required “offline data storage and processing,” though the force did not say how many units have been sidelined because of security fears.“The RCMP employs a risk-based approach to drone technology,” said the Follow-Up Response. “Safeguards are in place to reflect the sensitivity level of missions.”Drones considered high risk are banned from emergency response operations with sensitive tactics, VIP protection, protected-site missions, border integrity work and any investigations involving U.S. federal agencies.The Mounties last August announced they were expanding drone surveillance along the U.S. border in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba “to enhance security,” but did not mention that the majority of their aircraft were already tagged as high risk..RCMP management said drones remain a key tool because they can deploy quickly, cover large areas and collect evidence at a fraction of what it costs to send a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.The Follow-Up Response was triggered after Sen. Claude Carignan of Quebec pressed RCMP brass on whether national security risks were being properly weighed in contracting. “Can you reassure us about how national security considerations are taken into account in procurement?” he asked. “I want to make sure national security considerations are taken into account.”
