Spy planes could monitor cellphone chats over battlefields — and over Canada’s cities
A new fleet of surveillance aircraft to be purchased for Canada’s special forces will give the military the ability to monitor cellphone conversations and collect other data while flying over foreign locations — and, if needed, over Canadian towns and cities.
That’s raising concern among some analysts about the potential lack of oversight for domestic missions, and the possibility the aircraft could be misused by government.
The spy planes are being purchased for Canadian special forces “to improve their understanding of the operational environment,” according to the Liberal government’s new defence policy.
A number of aerospace firms are already gearing up for a potential competition. Defence industry representatives had been previously informed the aircraft would be used for both domestic and international missions. Sources say the planes could also be used for operations by other federal government departments.
Maj. Alexandre Cadieux, a spokesman for Canadian special forces, told Postmedia in an email that options are now being considered for the aircraft. The military refers to the program as the Manned Airborne Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance project.
The project is now going through the various necessary approvals, said Cadieux. “Therefore, no implementation schedule nor cost estimate is available at this time."
But information provided earlier to the defence industry indicated Canadian special forces were interested in acquiring four such aircraft. The modified small passenger planes would be outfitted with surveillance equipment allowing for the interception of cellphone calls, radio transmissions and other communications. Electro-optical sensors would allow the aircraft to track the movement of individuals and vehicles on the ground.
Such capability, however, has some analysts concerned. While it makes sense to use such gear on an overseas battlefield, they question what system of accountability would be in place to ensure the capability wasn’t misused in a domestic situation.
“There is no military intelligence watchdog so there are questions about oversight,” said Bill Robinson, an analyst who monitors the activities of Canada’s spy agencies. “I could see something like this being used in an Oka-type situation or other domestic operations.”
Canadian special forces had access to similar aircraft in Afghanistan to track and target insurgents on the ground.
Analyst Chris Parsons said he worries about the “militarization of domestic intelligence gathering” in Canada.
“This raises questions about how the data will be collected and exchanged,” said Parsons, a research associate at the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs. “There is reason to be concerned.”
But military sources argue the aircraft could prove valuable in an incident of domestic terrorism.
It is unclear how the Canadian purchase will proceed but at the recent CANSEC defence trade show in Ottawa some industry representatives expressed hope that domestic companies will be involved.
Cascade Aerospace of Abbotsford, B.C. announced in October it had teamed with Sierra Nevada Corporation in the U.S. in anticipation of the project moving forward.
Cascade has highlighted its expertise in modifying and maintaining multi-engine aircraft while Sierra Nevada Corporation designs and produces intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.