Malfunctioning missiles purchased by Canadian Army for personnel in Latvia now fixed
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Late last year, the Ottawa Citizen reported that more than half of the new missiles received by the Canadian Forces didn't function properly during testing. The federal government spent U.S. $32 million ($45 million Canadian) to purchase Spike anti-tank missiles for eventual use by Canadian Forces personnel in Latvia.
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The Canadian Army and Department of National Defence declined to outline what the problems were because they wanted to protect the commercial interests of the Israeli missile manufacturer, Rafael. No specific details were released on when the missiles would be sent to Latvia.
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'Full Operational Capability is still expected to be reached for winter 2026,' said DND public affairs official Alex Tétreault in an email response.
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Rafael did not respond to a request for comment about the missile problems which were first identified in July 2024.
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The National Post reported in November 2024 that the Canadian Army was considering cancelling the contract because of the problems. But DND has stated that will not happen and that the contract will proceed.
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In February 2023, the Ottawa Citizen reported that the Canadian Army was fast-tracking its purchase of the anti-tank weapons as well as air defence systems for troops stationed in Latvia. The equipment was classified as an Urgent Operational Requirement, the same process used during the Afghanistan war to quickly obtain gear without going through the slower traditional procurement procedures.
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DND spokesperson Nick Drescher Brown previously stated that in the interest of getting the new missiles quickly for the Latvia mission, no live-fire tests or demonstrations were performed during the selection process. 'This technical risk was assessed and deemed acceptable as all of the potential bidders had delivered thousands of units of this product to other customers by that point in time,' he said in an email in December.
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The ongoing issues affected both the Spike missiles and launchers.
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Canadian soldiers are in Latvia as part of the Canadian-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group to deter Russian aggression in the region. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced in July 2023 that, as part of a major commitment to NATO, Canada would spend an additional $2.6 billion to double the number of troops it stationed in Latvia. The government's plan would see up to 2,200 troops deployed for what is being called Operation Reassurance.
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