Canada
Canada's fusion research is conducted at the University of Saskatchewan and through private companies like General Fusion. Canada's DEW capabilities are limited but growing through NORAD cooperation.
Key Findings
General Fusion (Vancouver) is a world leader in magneto-inertial fusion (MTF) technology.
University of Saskatchewan conducts Canada's primary academic plasma physics research.
8 entities and 7 relationships map Canada's fusion and DEW ecosystem.
Canada's DEW capabilities are developing through NORAD and AUKUS cooperation.
Canada's fusion research is primarily private-sector driven, with General Fusion as the global MTF leader.
Research Paper
Canada's Fusion and Directed Energy Weapons Ecosystem
Plasma Physics Research, Fusion Infrastructure, and Defense Technology Programs
Key Entities
General Fusion
World leader in magnetized target fusion using compact toroid plasma injectors — first in the world to design, build, and commission a compact toroid plasma injector at power plant scale. LM26 achieved first plasma March 2025. $733M total funding, publicly traded.
Compact Toroid Injector
Compact toroid plasma injectors at power plant scale — the most significant commercial FRC technology base outside classified US programs.
LM26
General Fusion's demonstration machine achieving first plasma in March 2025, validating MTF approach with compact toroid injectors.
DRDC
Defence Research and Development Canada, conducting HEL research for military applications and participating in TTCP.
TTCP
The Technical Cooperation Program - Five Eyes mechanism for sharing plasma-relevant weapons technology including directed energy.
STOR-M
Canadian tokamak facility at University of Saskatchewan, part of Canada's limited but historical fusion infrastructure.
University of Saskatchewan
Canadian university operating the STOR-M tokamak for plasma physics research.
DRDC HEL Program
DRDC High Energy Laser research program for Canadian defense applications, exploring counter-UAS and air defense capabilities.
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)
Canadian defense research organization. DRDC Valcartier: HEL vehicle integration. DRDC Suffield: counter-UAS laser testing. 5th NATO country to test above-horizon laser.
DRDC Suffield Research Centre
Canadian defense research facility in Suffield, Alberta. Counter-UAS testing, IDEaS CUAS Sandbox. Boeing and AIM Defence laser tests May-June 2024.
Timeline Highlights
AVRO CIA Test Flight
CIA conducts test flights of the AVRO platform at Bell Laboratories in Canada.
Foundational FRC and MTF Research at LANL
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) pioneers research into Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) and Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF), establishing the scientific pedigree for future compact fusion programs.
LANL FRC/MTF Research Era
Los Alamos National Laboratory pioneers research into Field-Reversed Configurations (FRCs) and Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF).
AFRL/LANL MRT instability research for MTF
Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability research in MTF liner implosions.
LANL/AFRL MTF collaboration and Trivergence Protocol
Deepened MTF collaboration and Trivergence Protocol spacetime research.
HyperJet magnetized plasma jets for MTF
HyperJet Fusion's plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion approach.
Research Topics
Explore Canada's involvement across specific research domains tracked by the SMT Research Institute.