Canada has entered a $6.5 billion deal to obtain Australia’s advanced Jindalee Over-the-Horizon Radar (JORN) technology. This acquisition aims to strengthen Arctic surveillance, particularly as tensions with the United States continue to rise.

According to ABC, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the purchase while visiting Nunavut and stated, "Today, I'm announcing that our government will be working with our long-standing defence and security partner Australia to build a new, long-range, over-the-horizon military radar system. It will enable Canada to detect and respond to both air and maritime threats over our Arctic both faster and from further away."

Canada has decided to acquire the new radar system amid pressure from the U.S. to boost defence spending. The advanced technology will enhance (North American Aerospace Defence Command) NORAD’s ability to track potential threats across North America. The move follows President Donald Trump's return to office, as his renewed statements about annexing Canada and Greenland have intensified security concerns. JORN is one of the most refined radar systems available, capable of monitoring vast areas up to 3,000 kilometres away. Unlike traditional radars that depend on the direct line of sight, JORN operates using high-frequency signals that reflect off the ionosphere, allowing it to detect objects far beyond the horizon.

For months, officials from Australia had been negotiating the sale of JORN to the US, but tension occurred due to the "DOGE audit" directed by Elon Musk, which examined Pentagon spending. As per the ABC, an Australian official noted that “the Canadians were always going to follow the US purchase and slipstream off that, but circumstances changed and things moved quickly.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accepted the deal, underlining, “It’s important that we diversify our trade relationships, and Canada is a very important one.” Meanwhile, Defence Minister Richard Marles called the deal “potentially the biggest defence industry export that Australia has ever been a part of.”

According to ABC, the UK has shown interest in purchasing JORN technology but has not yet decided.