The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have accelerated plans to acquire 250 armored fighting vehicles (AFV) and upgrade their existing main battle tank, the Leopard 2, within the next five years. The plans were discussed at a defense industry gathering in the United Kingdom in January 2026, according to The War Zone, a United States military affairs news site. The purchases of armored assets will significantly bolster the CAF’s ability to defend North America from potential conflict, The War Zone reported.
Canadian defense officials discussed their plans at Defense IQ’s International Armored Vehicles conference. The proposed timeline has been shifted from AFVs being introduced in 2035 to between 2029 to 2031, the news site reported. The AFVs would comprise the backbone of Medium Calvary brigades to form part of a Maneuver Division, the website reported.
The CAF currently fields Tracked Light Armored Vehicles (TLAV), a version of the M-113. New models under consideration come from Germany, South Korea and Sweden, although no decisions have been made. A tracked AFV is best suited for Arctic off-road conditions and would be able to operate in tandem with main battle tanks. The AFVs will be equipped with STANAG Level 6 blast protection, offering protection against 30 mm automatic cannon fire, or the detonation of a 15 mm artillery shell at close range. “We are changing our structure, we are modernizing our fleet, we are growing our armored capability. We are not no longer just talking about the future; we are actively building it,” a CAF official said at the conference. The conference was organized under Chatham House rules, which means the officials could be quoted by not identified, according to Shephard Defence Insight, a U.K. military affairs website.
Another aspect of strengthening Canada’s armored capabilities are upgrades to the German Leopard 2 tank. The CAF has 103 Leopards, which are scheduled to be retired by 2035. The upgrades, undertaken by the Heavy Direct Fire Modernization project, will modernize the tanks’ optic and fire-control systems. Revamping the Leopard will help the CAF transition to a new tank, which should be selected by 2030, Shephard reported. “The force design may require additional armored or armored cavalry battalions, but it is just too early at this point to say how many,” said a CAF official, according to Defence Insight. The new tank is slated for deployment by 2037.
The CAF’s armored improvements are part of an uptick in Canadian defense spending since 2024. Canada’s defense strategy, “Our North, Strong and Free,” calls for nearly $53 billion over the next 20 years with major investments in weapons systems, war and reconnaissance planes, Arctic patrol vehicles and upgrades in housing and other support for the troops. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a further hike in October 2025 of $46 million to bring Canada’s defense spending to 2% of GDP with the goal of meeting NATO’s spending threshold of 3.5% of GDP in direct military spending by 2035.