A major partner will buy Australia’s world-leading radar system under a multibillion-dollar deal, making it the nation’s largest defence export agreement.
The landmark pact was signed in Canberra on Monday by Defence Minister Richard Marles and Canada’s Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr.
“Today’s agreement really is a historic moment for Australia’s defence industry, but it is also a historic moment in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Canada,” Mr Marles said.
JORN to be deployed in the Arctic
Canada will use Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar Network, known as JORN, to surveil vast swathes of the Arctic.
The over-the-horizon system has been in service for 40 years and can detect aircraft and ships up to 3000km from the northern Australian coast.
Mr Fuhr pointed to both nations being Commonwealth countries and Five Eyes partners.
“We’ve stood shoulder to shoulder for generations as the world adjusts to its new strategic and economic realities,” he said.
“We’ll continue to work with the Americans. That’s not going to change, but the relationship is different.”
Building on a key alliance
Australia and Canada will work towards establishing a status of forces agreement, a legal framework allowing militaries to operate in each other’s countries.
Mr Marles said the “exquisite” radar technology would only be shared with Australia’s most trusted partners.
“That said, under our government, we have looked to be more ambitious in terms of finding opportunities to engage in defence industry exports and this is something that we can do with a close friend,” he said.
Eyes on future defence collaboration
As Australia and Germany remain in talks about exporting the Ghost Bat drone, Canada has also shown interest in the locally designed aircraft.
“I’m quite interested,” Mr Fuhr said.
“Collaborative combat aircraft are a thing, and it seems like Australia has got a bit of a lead there, so I’m curious to see where that’s at.”
Federal governments have committed more than $2.3 billion into the Ghost Bat’s development since 2019.
The drone is the first combat aircraft to be designed and made in Australia in 50 years.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the government was “very confident” in the capability, with a factory being built in Queensland to manufacture the drones at scale.
