Canada will invest C$273.5 million ($201.96 million) to procure air defense and anti-drone systems on an urgent basis to bolster the defense capabilities of armed forces deployed under NATO and to modernize its armed forces, the defense minister announced on Thursday.

The federal government will invest C$227.5 million to procure the RBS 70 NG short-range Air Defense System to provide air defense protection for troops deployed in Latvia, defense minister Bill Blair said in a statement.

Canada will also acquire counter-drone equipment at a cost of C$46 million that will help around 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel serving NATO under operation REASSURANCE, the statement added.

The announcement comes on the backdrop of Blair's meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

The first systems are expected to be delivered later this year. Both systems are expected to strengthen the CAF's capabilities in countering any air assault by fighter aircraft, helicopters and uncrewed aerial systems, and will enable detection, identification, tracking and defeat of small drones. ($1 = 1.3542 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)