Australia and Canada Partner on $1.75B Arctic Radar Project
WHO:
ABC News - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he had chosen Australia’s radar system over comparable U.S. technology shortly after he came to power last year.
CBC - Secretary of State (Defence Procurement) Stephen Fuhr signed the $2.5 billion agreement with Richard Marles, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defence minister.
ABC News - Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Canadian Secretary of State (Defense Procurement) Stephen Fuhr signed the agreement.
ABC News - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the partnership with Australia.
CBC - BAE Systems Australia is involved in the project.
WHAT:
CBC - The overall program is estimated to be worth $6 billion.
CBC - The second unit, known as the Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar (P-OTHR), will be situated in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, with exact coordinates and community names remaining classified.
ABC News - Australia and Canada signed a $1.75 billion export agreement to build a long-range radar system in Canada.
CBC - The agreement is for the purchase of an Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar system (A-OTHR).
CBC - The A-OTHR system is expected to be operational by 2029.
CBC - The agreement signed is the first of two radar units planned for the Arctic.
WHERE:
ABC News - The radar system will be built in Canada.
CBC - The transmitting and receiving stations will be located in southern Ontario, in the Kawartha Lakes region.
CBC - The second unit, known as the Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar (P-OTHR), will be situated in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
WHEN:
CBC - Construction of the A-OTHR is expected to create 2,270 jobs annually between 2026 and 2033.
WHY:
ABC News - The radar system aims to provide early warning radar coverage from the Canada-United States border into the Arctic.
CBC - The project is part of a broader effort to build an integrated Arctic surveillance and communications network.
HOW:
CBC - BAE Systems Australia will work with Canadian companies to build expertise on the radar system in Canada and strengthen the country's defence industrial base.
ABC News - The Australian system works by refracting high-frequency electromagnetic waves off the ionosphere to detect distant objects.
CBC - A comprehensive industrial benefits deal was signed to invest in the Canadian defense industrial base as part of the agreement.
(UPDATED June 22, 2026 20:05 UTC)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced the selection of Australia’s radar system over U.S. technology, shortly after taking office last year, and Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr has signed a $2.5 billion agreement with Australia’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles. The overall program is estimated to be worth $6 billion, with the second unit, known as the Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar, planned for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, though specific details remain classified. BAE Systems Australia will collaborate with Canadian companies to enhance expertise on the radar system and bolster Canada’s defence industrial base.
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(UPDATED June 22, 2026 08:52 UTC)
Australia and Canada have signed a significant $1.75 billion export agreement to develop a long-range radar system, with the partnership announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and formalized by Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Canadian Secretary of State Stephen Fuhr. The Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar system, which aims to enhance early warning radar coverage from the Canada-United States border into the Arctic, is expected to be operational by 2029 and will create over 2,200 jobs annually during its construction phase from 2026 to 2033. The radar system will be built in Canada, with key facilities located in southern Ontario's Kawartha Lakes region, while a second unit will be established in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.