Australia sells advanced radar technology to Canada in record $1.7 billion deal

SYDNEY, June 22 (Reuters) - Australia said on Monday it will sell advanced radar technology capable of detecting long-range ‌missiles to Canada under a A$2.5 billion ($1.75 billion) ‌agreement, the country's largest-ever defence export deal.

The agreement is Australia's first overseas sale ​of the radar, known as Over-the-Horizon Radar technology, and will support Canada's surveillance of the Arctic region.

"Today's agreement marks a significant milestone in Australian defence trade and lays the foundation for ‌deeper and mutually beneficial ⁠defence industry collaboration with Canada," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.

Canada's Arctic region represents ⁠about 40% of its total landmass, though it is sparsely populated and has little infrastructure. Much of Russia's Arctic area, which ​is about ​a fifth of its landmass, ​faces Canada and the ‌U.S. state of Alaska.

"Canada is reinforcing Arctic security through the Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar project," said Stephen Fuhr, Canada's secretary of state for defence procurement.

"This project is part of a broader effort to build an integrated Arctic surveillance and communications network that ‌will strengthen Canada's ability to monitor, ​understand and respond to activity in ​the Arctic."

Australia's Jindalee Operational ​Radar Network can detect and track aircraft, ‌ships and missiles up to 3,000 ​km (1,864 miles) away.

The ​deal to share the technology with Canada will create around 300 jobs in Australia and is the first ​stage of a ‌broader collaboration between the two countries on the radar, ​Australia said.

($1 = 1.4269 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Christine Chen in ​Sydney; Editing by Christopher Cushing)