Canada Tactical Communication Market Overview, 2030

The Canada Tactical Communication market has shown consistent growth, serving as an essential component of North America's defense infrastructure and the worldwide communication framework. This market offers secure, real-time phone, video, and data communication among military units, emergency responders, and national security organizations. It facilitates collaboration in collaborative operations, transnational missions, and domestic security. Tactical communication originated in the early 20th century with rudimentary radio equipment employed in military operations; nonetheless, it faced persistent obstacles such as restricted range, cumbersome gear, and inadequate encryption. To address this, Canada implemented several tactical systems, including VHF/UHF radios, satellite terminals, vehicle-mounted systems, manpacks, and more recently, Software Defined Radios (SDRs) and mesh network-enabled devices. Currently, these instruments are extensively utilized by the Canadian Armed Forces, UN peacekeepers, search-and-rescue teams, and disaster management units functioning in remote or high-risk areas. Tactical communication refers to the transmission of secure, mission-critical data using transportable, durable, and frequently encrypted systems across diverse terrains and conditions. It enables field teams to coordinate instantaneously, identify dangers, and mitigate mistakes, enhancing safety, precision, and response time. The advantages include mobility, clarity, encryption, and reliability. Corporations are spearheading research in low-latency networking, sophisticated waveform technology, and small, energy-efficient equipment to satisfy contemporary requirements. These advancements facilitate consumer adoption of systems that are more lightweight, interoperable, and prepared for upgrades. The Canadian market continues to encounter obstacles such as difficult terrain deployment, constrained defense expenditure, reliance on foreign vendors, and delays in technology refresh cycles. Each issue is connected to Canada's extensive geography, procurement delays, and challenges in sustaining interoperability with allied systems. The demand for multilingual systems, cybersecurity measures, and multi-environment reliability introduces additional complexities to industry expansion.

According to the research report, Canada Tactical Communications Market Overview, 2030, published by Bonafide Research, the Canada Tactical Communications market is anticipated to add to more than USD 156.22 Million by 2025–30. This market is driven by the rising need for interoperable and secure communication systems during joint military exercises, natural disaster response, and border security missions. Increased cyber threats and Canada’s strong commitment to NATO and UN missions also push for advanced communication tools. A recent development includes Canada’s procurement of new radio systems under the Integrated Soldier Suite (ISS-S) project, aiming to modernize soldier-wearable communication devices with encrypted voice and data channels. Leading players in Canada’s market include Thales Canada, L3Harris Technologies, and General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada, offering portable radios, SDRs, tactical intercoms, and command-and-control communication systems to meet military and emergency needs. They offer these products to supply the Canadian Armed Forces, coast guard, police, and emergency services with rugged, mobile, and secure connectivity. Buyers include the Department of National Defence (DND), Public Safety Canada, and provincial agencies, while suppliers range from domestic tech firms to global defense contractors. Opportunities arise with Canada’s Arctic sovereignty missions, aging equipment upgrades, and increased investment in networked battlefield technology creating demand for modern, weather-resilient, and multi-mode devices. Compliances such as MIL-STD-461, NATO STANAGs, and Industry Canada wireless certification ensure electromagnetic compatibility, system interoperability, and regulatory alignment. These standards solve issues related to device safety, frequency conflicts, and multi-agency coordination. Government involvement is seen through procurement programs like Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), which fund defense tech modernization. Key market trends include wearable tactical systems for soldiers, hybrid SATCOM and radio systems, and encrypted data-sharing platforms. These trends emerge because they offer real-time intelligence, faster deployment capability, and better situational awareness in dynamic field environments.

Ground platforms dominate the sector, serving as the foundation of Canada’s military operations. The Canadian Army depends significantly on terrestrial communication technologies to uphold coordination, provide command and control, and enable real-time information dissemination. These systems are essential for forces stationed in many situations, ranging from urban to isolated and rough terrains, where reliable communication is important. In the naval sector, Canada’s marine forces emphasize the establishment of resilient communication networks for ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, and air-to-ship coordination. Given Canada's operation of various surface warships and submarines, secure and dependable communication technologies are essential for mission effectiveness in varied maritime situations. Airborne platforms represent the most rapidly expanding category, propelled by escalating expenditures in modern aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). These technologies facilitate many tasks, such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and logistics operations, rendering dependable and secure communication vital for real-time decision-making and mission accomplishment. The increasing need for integrated communication systems that accommodate both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles drives market growth. Unmanned technology, such as drones and autonomous ground vehicles, are becoming integral to Canada's security objectives. These platforms depend on sophisticated communication systems to relay ISR data, offer operational assistance, and accept directives. Their expanding function in surveillance and reconnaissance is propelling the requirement for specialist, secure communication systems adept at managing substantial data quantities.

As a fundamental aspect of military operations, communication systems ensure the seamless exchange of voice and data between various units, including ground forces, air assets, and naval platforms. With an emphasis on interoperability, these systems enable efficient command, control, and coordination of military actions, particularly during joint or multinational operations. Command & control applications are integral to decision-making processes in complex operational environments. These systems facilitate the communication of orders, feedback, and situational awareness, enabling commanders to make timely and informed decisions. In Canada’s defense strategy, modernizing command & control systems is essential for enhancing responsiveness and operational effectiveness, especially for the Canadian Forces engaged in peacekeeping, humanitarian, and combat missions. The intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR) application is the fastest-growing in the Canadian market. With the increasing focus on situational awareness and early threat detection, ISR platforms require reliable and secure communication links to transmit vast amounts of data from sensors, UAVs, and other reconnaissance systems. This growth is fueled by Canada’s commitment to enhancing border security, monitoring airspace, and supporting peacekeeping missions globally. Combat operations, which encompass battlefield engagements and tactical warfare, also rely heavily on secure and resilient communication systems. These systems ensure rapid communication across diverse units and enhance coordination, making them essential for the success of combat missions in challenging environments.

The Canada tactical communication market is segmented into soldier radios, manpacks, vehicular intercommunication radios (VIC), and high-capacity data radios (HCDR). Among these, soldier radios are both the leading and fastest-growing segment. These radios are vital to enhancing the operational effectiveness of individual soldiers, allowing them to maintain communication in rapidly changing and often unpredictable environments. Soldier radios enable dismounted troops to stay connected to command centers, fellow soldiers, and other platforms, ensuring coordination and real-time situational awareness during operations. With technological advancements, these radios are becoming more compact, durable, and capable of supporting voice, data, and even video transmission. Manpack radios are another critical component of the tactical communication market. These radios are commonly used by military units when extended communication range and power are required. Manpacks provide a bridge between handheld radios and larger communication systems, offering greater capabilities in terms of bandwidth and signal strength. As Canadian military operations often involve challenging terrains and harsh environmental conditions, manpack radios are essential for ensuring reliable communication in remote or austere locations. Vehicular intercommunication radios (VIC) are deployed within military vehicles to maintain internal communication among the crew and facilitate communication between vehicles and command units. These systems are integral for armored vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles, and other military transport, where clear communication ensures operational efficiency and safety during missions. High-capacity data radios (HCDRs) are used to transmit large volumes of data, particularly for command & control, ISR, and combat operations. HCDRs are critical for ensuring the timely and secure transfer of data, including imagery, video, and intelligence information, across military networks.

Single frequency systems, while still in use, are more commonly found in legacy systems or specific tactical environments where communication needs are more straightforward. Single frequency radios are less expensive and simpler to operate but lack the adaptability and resilience of multi frequency systems. They are typically deployed in lower-intensity operations or non-combat situations, where the complexity and volume of communication are more limited. Multi frequency systems dominate the market and are also the fastest-growing segment. Multi frequency radios provide flexibility by supporting communication across different frequency bands, such as HF, VHF, UHF, and SATCOM, allowing Canadian military forces to adapt to diverse operational needs. These systems enable seamless interoperability across various military platforms ground, air, sea, and unmanned ensuring that units can communicate securely regardless of location, mission type, or environmental conditions. The use of multi frequency systems is particularly valuable in joint operations, where forces from different services or nations are involved, each operating on different communication standards. The growing reliance on multi frequency systems is driven by Canada's commitment to enhancing its military readiness in various operational scenarios, including peacekeeping, border security, and rapid-response missions. These systems are essential for providing uninterrupted communication and overcoming the challenges posed by signal interference, electronic warfare, and adversarial jamming attempts.

Considered in this report
• Historic Year: 2019
• Base year: 2024
• Estimated year: 2025
• Forecast year: 2030

Aspects covered in this report
• Tactical Communication Market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Platform
• Ground
• Airborne
• Naval
• Unmanned Systems

By Application
• Command & Control
• Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance
• Communication
• Combat

By Type
• Soldier Radios
• Manpacks
• Vehicular Intercommunication Radio (VIC)
• High Capacity Data Radio (HCDR)

By Frequency
• Single Frequency
• Multi Frequency

The approach of the report:
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and listing out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, annual report of companies, analyzing the government generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducted trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we have started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to agriculture industry, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.