Australia and Canada Ink $1.75 Billion Deal to Install Long‑Range Radar System in Canada

MELBOURNE, Australia – On Monday, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Canadian Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr signed a $1.75 billion export agreement that will see an Australian‑designed long‑range radar system built in Canada.

Under the first phase of the pact, the two nations will provide early‑warning radar coverage spanning from the Canada–United States border into the Arctic region.

“What this really means is that Australia and Canada are now partners in the future development of Over‑the‑Horizon Radar,” Marles told reporters at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra.

Marles added that the agreement introduces a “very strategic dimension” to the bilateral relationship.

Fuhr highlighted the long‑standing ties between the two Commonwealth countries, both members of the Five Eyes intelligence‑sharing alliance that also includes the United States, Britain and New Zealand, noting that they have “stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder for generations.”

“As the world adjusts to its new strategic and economic realities, I can’t think of a stronger partner to work with more than Australia,” Fuhr said during the joint press conference.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced the decision to select Australia’s radar system over comparable U.S. technology shortly after taking office last year, underscored the significance of the choice.

In March, Carney became the first Canadian prime minister in 12 years to visit Australia. During the visit, he and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to deepen cooperation on defence technologies, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.

BAE Systems Australia confirmed it will support both governments in developing the Arctic Over‑the‑Horizon Radar.

The Australian system, refined over 40 years, uses high‑frequency electromagnetic waves refracted off the ionosphere to detect distant objects that are otherwise invisible to conventional radars because of Earth’s curvature.

This agreement represents Australia’s largest ever defense export. Previously, in 2024, the country secured a $700 million deal to supply Germany with 100 Australian‑made Boxer heavy‑weapon carrier vehicles.

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