The primary military threat facing Canada comes from hypersonic or cruise missiles arriving from the north, the sea or even space, launched by adversaries such as Russia or China, according to the Canadian Armed Forces.
To defend itself, the government of Canada wants to acquire half a dozen new “flying radars” — officially called Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft — at a cost of more than $5 billion.
The program aims to purchase planes packed with radar and detection equipment that fly at altitudes of more than 10 kilometres, searching for enemy missiles, aircraft and drones. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, these threats have become increasingly sophisticated and lethal.
Once crews detect a threat, the aircraft can relay information to other Canadian Armed Forces systems and the country’s allies to co-ordinate a military response.
In an ideal world, the Canadian military wants this equipment to be as compatible as possible with its future F-35 fighters and other “fifth-generation” capabilities.

The main options for the contract are the Swedish GlobalEye, made by Saab, as well as two American offerings, namely the Aeris X by L3Harris and the E-7 Wedgetail by Boeing.
The Carney government wants to act quickly to purchase these new detection planes, and to fulfil its promise to increase domestic production of military equipment.
“In its 2025 electoral platform, the Liberal Party of Canada committed to acquiring Canadian-made Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft,” said Laurent Blanchard, spokesperson for Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state responsible for military procurement.