Australia has concluded its largest defence export agreement, a A$1.7 billion (C$2.5 billion) sale of over-the-horizon radar technology to Canada, while Taiwan has received the first batch of four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones from the United States. The radar deal, signed in Canberra by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Canadian Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr, covers the initial phase of an Arctic surveillance network. The unarmed drones, manufactured by General Atomics, arrived in Taiwan for assembly and testing ahead of flight trials, according to a source cited by Taipei’s Liberty Times.

Australian and Canadian officials described the radar agreement as a strategic milestone. Mr Marles said the export, the first international sale of the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) technology, created “a very strategic dimension” in bilateral ties. Mr Fuhr stated that Canada was reinforcing Arctic security and that, “as the world adjusts to its new strategic and economic realities, I can’t think of a stronger partner to work with than Australia.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had selected the Australian system over comparable US technology shortly after taking office, a decision noted by Australian and Canadian commentators as a sign of Ottawa’s intent to diversify defence partnerships beyond a heavy reliance on Washington. In Taipei, the air force said the MQ-9B acquisition would enable round-the-clock surveillance of Chinese military movements and “gray zone” activity in the Taiwan Strait, with a researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research emphasising that operating the same systems as the US military would improve real-time intelligence sharing with Washington, Tokyo and other partners.

The radar system, developed over four decades by BAE Systems Australia, refracts high-frequency waves off the ionosphere to detect aircraft, ships and missiles at ranges of up to 3,000 km. Canada plans to deploy the first Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) in southern Ontario, with an expected operational date of 2029, and has provisioned a total of C$6.5 billion for a two-radar network that would later include a polar system deep in the Arctic Archipelago. According to Moscow’s Kommersant newspaper, the Canadian government has explicitly linked the programme to threats from Russia and China, and some Canadian specialists fear a direct Russian military threat. The MQ-9B drone, with a range of 6,000 km and an endurance of up to 28 hours, is intended primarily for intelligence and reconnaissance missions over the Taiwan Strait, though it can be armed with laser-guided bombs and air-to-air missiles. Taiwan’s defence budget allocated US$687 million for the four-aircraft programme, with the remaining drones expected next year.

The radar deal is the first stage of a broader collaboration; Mr Marles indicated Australia would consider selling the technology to other close allies, including the United States, while noting its sensitivity. Mr Fuhr also inspected Australia’s Ghost Bat uncrewed combat aircraft during his visit, signalling potential future cooperation. Canada’s broader Arctic defence investment includes a C$25 billion modernisation of northern military bases, as Ottawa reorients its defence policy towards NATO and Nordic European allies, Kommersant reported. According to Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, the MQ-9B drones will help fill gaps in maritime surveillance and strengthen interoperability with the US and Japan. The first radar deliveries are scheduled to begin on 1 July.