Canada is moving ahead with a major new radar project to help monitor the Arctic.
The federal government has signed agreements with Australia and BAE Systems Australia to buy an Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) system. The deal, worth about $2.5 billion, was signed in Australia by Defence Procurement Secretary Stephen Fuhr and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.
The system will help detect aircraft and missile threats far over Canada’s North as part of NORAD defence efforts. Its main stations will be built in southern Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes region and are expected to be operational by 2029.
A second radar system, called the Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar, is planned for Canada’s far north, but its exact location has not been announced.
Officials say the project will also support Canada’s defence industry through partnerships with Canadian companies and could create thousands of jobs over the next several years.
