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

FILE: Prime Minister Mark Carney tours a Lockheed Martin C-130J during a visit to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) 8 Wing Trenton in Trenton, Ont., on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

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.

Canada has asked to buy 26 of the systems -- called HIMARS for short -- along with 132 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and 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.

It says it will boost Canada’s contribution to collective hemispheric defence and deterrence in Europe through NATO.

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 fiscal 2025-26.

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

(The Canadian Press)