Not sure how I see this as a benefit to Australia, unless they are looking at it the same way the Chinese were, if they invest in the Arctic even in Canada then they have a stake in the Northern Passage discussions, even though their border doesn’t actually touch the Arctic.
Another early shortwave OTH system was built in Australia in the early 1960s. This consisted of several antennas positioned four wavelengths apart, allowing the system to use phase-shift beamforming to steer the direction of sensitivity and adjust it to cover Singapore, Calcutta, and the UK. This system consumed 25 miles (40 km) of electrical cable in the antenna array.[7]
Note that the UK is approximately antipodal to Australia
Australia’s current OTH radars covers South East Asia, use half the transmit power of US OTH radar, and have longer range
I would assume Australia would use it to monitor their own seas, rather than the Arctic. They already have a system that watches the sea north of Australia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jindalee_Operational_Radar_Network ), so they have proven experience in the field
They already have a system that watches the sea north of Australia
Okay, that makes sense, and it squares with the CBC article:
Carney acknowledged that the project is not new, but said the partnership with Australia will allow it to be built and deployed “as quickly as possible and as effectively as possible.”
We’re basically teaming up with an ally that has experience getting the job done. Sensible.
There is that. They could also be wanting to implement their own system and helping us update ours is a great way to avoid problems of their own, if the do build one.
Not sure how I see this as a benefit to Australia, unless they are looking at it the same way the Chinese were, if they invest in the Arctic even in Canada then they have a stake in the Northern Passage discussions, even though their border doesn’t actually touch the Arctic.
Australia has been running over the horizon radar for decades, I think Australia’s role in this is providing expertise
From over-the-horizon radar on Wikipedia
Note that the UK is approximately antipodal to Australia
Australia’s current OTH radars covers South East Asia, use half the transmit power of US OTH radar, and have longer range
Ok that makes sense. Thanks for the information.
I just found this: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/canada-snuck-past-trump-buy-jorn-defence-radar/105069292
TLDR: Australia wanted to sell our Jindalee over-the-horizon radar (JORN) to the US, then Trump happened, so now we’re selling it to Canada
I would assume Australia would use it to monitor their own seas, rather than the Arctic. They already have a system that watches the sea north of Australia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jindalee_Operational_Radar_Network ), so they have proven experience in the field
Okay, that makes sense, and it squares with the CBC article:
We’re basically teaming up with an ally that has experience getting the job done. Sensible.
There is that. They could also be wanting to implement their own system and helping us update ours is a great way to avoid problems of their own, if the do build one.