Canada picks Swedish early-warning aircraft over US model
Axios (Tổng hợp từ Al Jazeera English)
Canada will buy Sweden's GlobalEye early-warning aircraft instead of Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced. The decision is part of Carney's push to reduce reliance on the U.S. amid tariff disputes and annexation threats. Saab will invest in Canadian R&D under the deal.
Canada on April 16 officially announced plans to purchase a fleet of early-warning aircraft from Sweden's Saab, bypassing a rival bid from Boeing. The move comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney accelerates a policy to reduce dependence on the United States, which has repeatedly threatened to annex Canada.
Speaking at a defense conference in Ottawa, Carney said: 'With advanced sensors and mission equipment, Saab's GlobalEye will be a key resource for the Canadian Armed Forces to detect and deter threats across the Arctic.'
The GlobalEye is built on the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet platform. Boeing had also competed with its E-7 Wedgetail, but that aircraft has faced delays and cost overruns.
Carney pledged in March that Canada would take responsibility for defending its vast Arctic territory after decades of relying on partnership with the U.S. to monitor the region, which at 4.4 million square kilometers is larger than India.
Carney's Liberal government last year announced plans to increase defense spending. The U.S. and allies have long criticized Canada for failing to meet NATO's military spending target. Carney announced in March that Canada had achieved the 2% GDP defense spending goal last year.
Saab said it would invest in research and development in Canada as part of the deal. Although Carney did not disclose the size of the fleet or contract cost, military officials have previously said they plan to buy six early-warning aircraft.
Philippe Lagasse, deputy director of the Institute of International Relations at Carleton University in Ottawa, said the GlobalEye purchase is 'an important test case for the Carney government's policy to shift away from U.S. military capabilities.' He said the decision strengthens Canada-Sweden ties; Sweden is a new NATO member keen to boost cooperation with Canada's military.
Canada has said it wants closer defense cooperation with Nordic countries in the Arctic as the U.S. becomes a less reliable partner.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on social media: 'GlobalEye is creating jobs in Canada and working with Canadian supply chains. This decision tightens the relationship between our two countries.'
Saab is also bidding to supply its Gripen fighter jet to Canada. Canada has already signed a contract for 88 F-35s from Lockheed Martin. But after the U.S. imposed tariffs on key Canadian imports, Carney ordered the military to review whether to cut the order and buy more aircraft from other manufacturers.
Carney told reporters that Ottawa would decide on the fighter fleet at the appropriate time. Last week, a Pentagon official, after Washington suspended regular bilateral defense talks with Canada, said delaying the F-35 decision showed Ottawa prioritized politics over defense.
However, Lagasse predicted Canada would eventually keep the F-35 fleet rather than split it by adding Saab's Gripen. 'If the government were determined to buy the Gripen, I would have expected them to announce it at the same time as the GlobalEye decision,' he said.
Trade tensions
The decision comes amid rising trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada, after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada and repeatedly threatened to annex it, making it the 51st U.S. state.
Historically, nearly 80% of Canada's exports go to the U.S. Most are covered by the USMCA — the trade pact between the two countries and Mexico — but it is set for review starting July 1. Trump has said the U.S. does not really need the deal.
While the U.S. announced bilateral talks with Mexico, there was no mention of Canada. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Goettman will lead bilateral talks in Mexico City on April 17-18. A second round is expected in Washington on June 16-17, focused on agriculture. A third round is set for Mexico City in the week of July 20.
Trump's first administration held trilateral talks with Mexico and Canada to create the USMCA, replacing the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. But there have been few discussions between U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc since early March, and no formal start to U.S.-Canada negotiations.
