Canada chooses European radar planes over U.S. rivals for Arctic defense

Canada will buy Saab’s Airborne Early Warning & Control Aircraft (built on Bombardier Global 6500, with 20% U.S. content) over two American options, Boeing’s E-7A Wedgetail and L3Harris’s Aeris X, with negotiations for a six-aircraft fleet. The move aligns with Ottawa’s push to diversify defense spending away from the United States and boost domestic production, and Saab’s GlobalEye is touted as strengthening Arctic surveillance. Ottawa is also reviewing its planned F-35 purchase, and Saab has proposed that some assembly and maintenance for Canada could occur domestically under broader defense cooperation.