Australia announced on June 22 that it would sell Canada advanced radar technology capable of detecting long-range missiles under an agreement worth AUD 2.5 billion (about USD 1.7 billion).
This agreement marks Australia's first overseas sale of the Over-the-Horizon radar system, while supporting Canada in strengthening monitoring of the Arctic region.
Today's agreement marks an important milestone in Australia's defense trade activities, while laying the foundation for deeper and more mutually beneficial cooperation between the Australian and Canadian defense industries" - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized in a statement.
Canada's Arctic region accounts for about 40% of the country's total territory, but the population is sparse and infrastructure is limited.
Mr. Stephen Fuhr - Canadian Secretary of State in charge of defense procurement - said: "Canada is strengthening security in the Arctic through the Over-the-Horizon Arctic radar project.
He added: "The project is part of a larger effort to build an integrated monitoring and communication network in the Arctic, thereby enhancing Canada's ability to monitor, assess and respond to activities taking place in the Arctic.
Australia has the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) operational radar network capable of detecting and tracking aircraft, ships and missiles at a distance of up to 3,000km.
According to Australia's sharing, the technology sharing agreement with Canada will create about 300 domestic jobs and is the first step in the framework of deeper cooperation between the two countries related to radar technology.
