In a surprising diplomatic move, Canada has secured a $6.5 billion deal to acquire Australia's advanced Jindalee Over-the-Horizon Radar (JORN) technology, bypassing initial plans for the United States to be the first international buyer.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the landmark purchase after speaking with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The deal will see Canada build a new Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar system using Australian technology.
The purchase comes amid growing tensions, with former US President Donald Trump's previous threats to annex Canada and Greenland raising security concerns. The radar system will bolster Canada's ability to detect air and maritime threats across its Arctic territory.
JORN represents cutting-edge Australian innovation in radar technology. The system can monitor ships and aircraft up to 3,000 kilometers away by bouncing high-frequency radio signals off the ionosphere. This capability has made it highly attractive to international buyers, particularly for monitoring vast territorial waters.
While US military officials had been discussing acquiring JORN for over a year, particularly interested in its potential to monitor military movements near China's mainland, the project faced uncertainty under new Pentagon spending reviews led by Elon Musk's DOGE audit.
"The Canadians were always going to follow the US purchase and slipstream off that," one senior Australian official told ABC, "but circumstances changed and things moved quickly."
Defence Minister Richard Marles highlighted the deal's historic nature, noting it could become Australia's largest-ever military export. The United Kingdom has also expressed interest in the technology, though no formal agreements have been reached.
For Australia, the Canadian deal represents an opportunity to diversify its trade relationships, particularly as the US continues implementing tariffs on foreign nations. Prime Minister Albanese emphasized the importance of strengthening ties with Canada, citing shared values between the two nations.
The radar system will support NORAD, the joint US-Canadian defense initiative, helping Ottawa meet Washington's demands for increased defense spending while maintaining sovereign control over its Arctic surveillance capabilities.