January 6, 2025
Innovation is moving at the pace of necessity on the frontline in Ukraine, as new technology and countermeasures are rapidly developed and deployed. In 2024, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) defence scientist Marie-Pierre Raymond supported Ukrainian military innovation during an almost seven-month deployment as a science advisor in Kyiv, Ukraine, as part of Operation UNIFIER.
“On the frontline, technology is changing every two to three weeks. There’s a race to innovate new capabilities and then to develop new countermeasures a few weeks later,” Raymond explains. “It is very rapid. The soldiers are innovating in direct contact with manufacturers. There are no trials in the lab. Trials are done during combat missions. I call it innovating at the speed of Ukraine.”
Raymond’s previous experience serving in the Canadian Armed Forces and working with the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program in electronic warfare, signals intelligence and artificial-intelligence (AI) based technology, was excellent preparation for her time in Ukraine where drones are being used in rapidly advancing military capabilities.
Raymond acted as the coordinator between Ukrainian military, Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian innovators, including companies that had advanced their technology through the IDEaS program, and the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.
“There was no one day that was the same,” Raymond says.
She explains that air raid alerts and power outages were a regular occurrence in Kyiv, including planned rolling outages as Ukraine’s power system and critical infrastructure has been targeted during the ongoing Russian military invasion. While there were inconveniences such as the lack of perishable foods during the summer months, elevators being out of service and the lack of air conditioning, Raymond says most days felt normal in Kyiv with people going about their daily work.
“It is a form of resistance against the invaders. You wouldn’t know in Kyiv, that there is a war until the air raid went off,” Raymond says. However, she noted how few young men were around Kyiv. “The people in Ukraine are brilliant and resilient. It was validating to do impactful work with them.”
While she spent most of her time working out of Kyiv, Raymond says she really enjoyed the occasions where she was able to go out into the field and work directly with Ukrainian military and security members and volunteers who are supporting the soldiers with training and technology.
“Ukrainian resilience and ingenuity have been humbling to witness. Their ability to innovate under immense pressure, adapt to an evolving threat landscape, and leverage global partnerships is nothing short of inspiring,” Raymond says.
For example, Raymond saw many units innovating in their own frontline workshops, where they worked on first-person-view (FPV) drones. These FPV drones are controlled by a drone pilot who is watching the camera view from the drone through googles. In these field workshops, the military members were modifying the drones in direct response to feedback from the crew, such as changing the length of the antennas, changing the receivers and batteries, and using artificial intelligence to counter enemy electronic warfare systems. Then they shared ideas, techniques and technology improvements in their own network of innovation.
Raymond also coordinated the attendance of Ukrainian military members at the IDEaS Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox, which is a counter-drone demonstration and testing event that took place in May and June 2024, at DRDC Suffield Research Centre in Alberta.
Raymond learned the value of empowering Ukrainians through targeted support. Through a $40,000 donation from DRDC, she procured essential lab equipment for two military organizations. This equipment—including 3D printers, a drone, and specialized tools—proved transformative. For example, the drone facilitated field searches for enemy unexploded ordnance, speeding up their processes and improving safety, which allowed them to reverse engineer to develop countermeasures.
“This one drone had a big impact because they were able to change how they did their dangerous tasks. I was able to see the end users of these targeted donations and the difference it made to them,” Raymond says.
Now that Raymond is back working with the IDEaS program again, she’s taking the lessons learned from her time in Ukraine to transfer this valuable knowledge to DRDC colleagues and to Canadian Armed Forces members to enable them to understand and prepare for how science and technology is impacting today’s and tomorrow’s battlefields.