ATLANTIC

Royal Canadian Navy spending $21.7 million to buy radar antennas for frigates

THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Friday, December 7, 2018 2:54PM AST Last Updated Friday, December 7, 2018 5:34PM AST

Sailors line the deck of HMCS St. John's, one of Canada's Halifax-class frigates, as ot returns to port in Halifax on Monday, July 23, 2018. The ship will be the first to get the new radar. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

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HALIFAX -- Ottawa says it will spend $21.7 million to buy additional antennas for the radar systems used aboard the Royal Canadian Navy's frigates.

The federal government says the procurement contract has been awarded to Saab Microwave Canada for 12 additional antenna sets, bringing the total investment to $97.5 million.

The frigates rely on the equipment for long-distance detection, and the new gear is expected to increase the detection ability of the radar by up to 180 kilometres.

HMCS St. John's is expected to be the first warship to get new antennas, with delivery expected in early 2021.

Under the contract, Saab is also required to make investments in the Canadian economy equal to the value of the contract.