U.S. approves sale of mobile artillery rocket systems to Canada

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and related equipment to Canada.

A news release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, estimates the cost of the sale at US$1.75 billion and says the principal contractor is Lockheed Martin.

The release says Canada has asked to buy 26 of the systems — called HIMARS for short — along with other items.

The release says the proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve Canada’s military capabilities.

“This capability will protect Canada by improving Canada’s contribution to collective hemispheric defense and to defense and deterrence in Europe, as directed by NATO’s defence plans,” the release says. “Canada will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to hit Canada’s NATO defence spending target — the equivalent of two per cent of national gross domestic product — in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

In June, Carney said Canada will invest more than $9 billion in defence this fiscal year. The prime minister’s defence investment plans include new aircraft, armed vehicles and ammunition.

Ottawa said it was looking to add long-range precision strike capability — and government officials speaking on background pointed to the HIMARS platform.

“We will rapidly procure new equipment and technology, build our defence industrial capacity, and meet our NATO defence commitment this year,” Carney said in June. “Canada will seize this opportunity with urgency and determination.”

Carney also said that Ottawa was looking to pivot its defence spending away from the United States in the face of tense bilateral relations between Canada and the Trump administration.

The offices of Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound and Defence Minister David McGuinty have not yet responded to requests for comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump has spent years railing against NATO countries that haven’t met their defence spending targets, including Canada.

Following Trump’s return to the White House earlier this year, and with Russia’s war in Ukraine still grinding on, NATO nations have vowed to rapidly ramp up defence spending.

The HIMARS sale has been approved by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency but it will still require congressional approval. There will also be separate negotiations between Ottawa and Lockheed Martin.

The news release noted Wednesday’s dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity based on initial requirements and the final price tag could be lower, depending on the signed sales agreement.

The approved purchase includes rocket launch pods, integration support services, spare parts and training.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2025.