Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (DDC) announced that completed the first of two milestones as part of the contract with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces' (DND) Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program.

The company has then been authorized to move to the second phase of the contract, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

In a statement, DDC said the completion of the first milestone of the project involved nine test objectives, pursuant to which the company completed a total of 145 flights with an overall flight distance of almost 800km.

"With the completion of the test environment milestones during the first phase of the contract, the Company will move to the real-world operation phase of the Contract to demonstrate the Canary's ability to deliver just in time medical equipment and supplies," it said.

As part of the IDEaS program, DDC's Canary drone has been selected to potentially play a crucial role in supporting the DND/CAF's delivery of medical equipment and other necessary supplies during mission-critical operations.

The contract — with a value of $200,000, will run for a 6-month duration and contains two milestones. A successful outcome of this initial contract could lead to a follow on 12-month contract valued up to $1 million.

"We are immensely proud of the achievement in completing the first phase of the DND contract. We look forward to continuing this successful effort as we move into the next phase of the contract," said Steve Magirias, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada.