BAE Systems Australia to deliver OTHR system to Canada

A Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) transmitter site at Harts Range in Alice Springs. (Commonwealth of Australia)

BAE Systems Australia has been awarded an AUD2.5 billion (USD1.7 billion) contract to deliver the first stage of an over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) capability to Canada.

Under the contract, the company will deliver an Arctic OTHR (A-OTHR) system based on technologies applied in the Australian Defence Force's (ADF's) Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN), the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) announced on 22 June.

The DoD said it worked with Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) to define requirements for the new A-OTHR system, and will continue joint research and development (R&D) on associated technologies.

BAE Systems Australia said A-OTHR will refract high-frequency electromagnetic waves off the ionosphere to detect and track objects thousands of kilometres away, beyond the range of conventional radars.

The DoD said the system will enhance early warning and surveillance in the North Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific, strengthen interoperability, and support collective security. Work under the contract is scheduled to begin on 1 July, with initial operational capability planned for December 2029.

The DND said A-OTHR will be a key component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint Canada–US organisation responsible for warning and defence against aerospace, missile, and maritime threats. The A-OTHR system is central to Canada's efforts to modernise NORAD under a CAD38.6 billion (USD27 billion) plan announced in 2022.

A DND spokesperson told Janes in mid-2025 that A-OTHR will be constructed in southern Ontario and comprise up to four antenna sites (two transmit and two receive) and space weather stations across Canada.

The DoD's Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is adapting JORN technologies for Arctic conditions. A DoD spokesperson told Janes