Australia and Canada sign $2.5 billion radar defense pact

Australia and Canada have formalized a landmark defense agreement, with Australia set to export its advanced long-range radar technology to its northern ally. The deal, signed on Monday, June 22, 2026, in Canberra, represents the largest defense export contract in Australia's history.

Canadian Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles signed the first phase of the pact, which commits Canada to spending $2.5 billion to acquire components of Australia's Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN). The over-the-horizon radar system, developed and operated by BAE Systems Australia for over 40 years, can detect aircraft, ships, and missiles up to 3,000 kilometers away by refracting high-frequency waves off the ionosphere, overcoming the limitations of Earth's curvature.

Minister Marles stated that the agreement makes the two nations partners in the future development of the technology. He noted that Canada, like Australia, has vast territories to monitor and will use the system for surveillance in the Arctic region. Secretary Fuhr emphasized the deep historical ties between the two Commonwealth nations, both members of the...