Canada to order military plane fleet from Sweden in shift from US suppliers
Canada to order military plane fleet from Sweden in shift from US suppliers
加拿大将向瑞典订购军用飞机机队，意在减少对美国供应商的依赖
A GlobalEye aircraft, manufactured by Saab Technologies is seen at the Dubai air show in the United Arab Emirates in 2019. Photograph: Christopher Pike/Reuters 2019年，一架由萨博（Saab）技术公司制造的“全球眼”（GlobalEye）飞机在阿拉伯联合酋长国迪拜航展上亮相。（图片来源：Christopher Pike/路透社）
Canada has announced plans to buy a fleet of early warning planes from Sweden’s Saab rather than a competing option from Boeing, as the country seeks to reduce reliance on US defense firms. 加拿大已宣布计划从瑞典萨博公司购买一批预警机，而非波音公司的竞争方案。此举旨在减少该国对美国国防企业的依赖。
Mark Carney, the prime minister, said on Wednesday that Canada would opt for Saab’s GlobalEye, which is based on Bombardier’s Global 6500 jet. Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail plane – which has suffered from delays and cost overruns – had also been in contention. 加拿大总理马克·卡尼（Mark Carney）周三表示，加拿大将选择萨博的“全球眼”预警机，该机型基于庞巴迪（Bombardier）的“全球6500”喷气式飞机。波音公司的E-7“楔尾”（Wedgetail）预警机此前也参与了竞标，但该机型一直饱受交付延迟和成本超支的困扰。
“With a suite of advanced sensors and mission systems, Saab’s GlobalEye will be a key resource for the Canadian armed forces to detect and deter threats across the Arctic,” Carney told a defense conference in Ottawa. 卡尼在渥太华的一次国防会议上表示：“凭借一套先进的传感器和任务系统，萨博的‘全球眼’将成为加拿大武装部队在北极地区探测和威慑威胁的关键资源。”
The prime minister pledged in March that Canada would take full responsibility for protecting its vast Arctic territory, after relying on decades on a partnership with the US to monitor its more than 4.4m sq km (1.7m sq miles) of land and sea, a territory larger than India. 今年3月，卡尼总理承诺加拿大将全权负责保护其广阔的北极领土。此前，加拿大几十年来一直依赖与美国的伙伴关系来监测其超过440万平方公里（约170万平方英里）的陆地和海域，这一领土面积比印度还要大。
In a statement, Saab said it planned to invest in research and development work in Canada as part of any deal. 萨博在一份声明中表示，作为协议的一部分，该公司计划在加拿大进行研发投入。
Although Carney did not give details of the fleet size or the cost of a potential contract, military officials had earlier said they were looking to buy six early warning aircraft. 尽管卡尼没有透露机队规模或潜在合同的成本细节，但军方官员此前曾表示，他们计划购买六架预警机。
Philippe Lagasse, associate director of international affairs at Ottawa’s Carleton University, said Canada’s decision to buy the GlobalEye planes was “an important test case for the Carney government’s policy of pivoting away from American military capability”. 渥太华卡尔顿大学国际事务副主任菲利普·拉加斯（Philippe Lagasse）表示，加拿大购买“全球眼”飞机的决定是“卡尼政府推行脱离美国军事能力政策的一个重要测试案例”。
He said in a statement that the decision confirmed Canada’s relationship with Sweden, a new Nato ally that had also been keen to strengthen its ties to the Canadian military. 他在一份声明中表示，这一决定巩固了加拿大与瑞典的关系。瑞典作为北约的新成员国，一直热衷于加强与加拿大军队的联系。
Canada has previously said it is keen to work more closely with the Nordic countries in the Arctic on defense and other issues, in a global environment where the US has become a less reliable partner. 加拿大此前曾表示，在全球环境背景下，由于美国已成为一个可靠性较低的伙伴，加拿大渴望在北极地区的国防及其他议题上与北欧国家开展更紧密的合作。
“GlobalEye is already creating jobs in Canada, and working with the Canadian supply chain. This decision ties our two nations even closer together,” the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said in a social media post. 瑞典首相乌尔夫·克里斯特松（Ulf Kristersson）在社交媒体上发文称：“‘全球眼’项目已经在加拿大创造了就业机会，并与加拿大的供应链展开了合作。这一决定使我们两国联系得更加紧密。”
Saab is also in the running to sell Canada some of its Gripen fighters. Canada has a deal to buy 88 F-35 jets from Lockheed-Martin, but last year, after the US slapped tariffs on key Canadian imports, Carney asked the military to investigate whether it could cut back the order and buy some planes from another manufacturer. 萨博目前也在竞标向加拿大出售其“鹰狮”（Gripen）战斗机。加拿大此前已达成协议，将从洛克希德-马丁公司购买88架F-35战斗机。但去年，在美国对加拿大关键进口商品加征关税后，卡尼要求军方调查是否可以削减该订单，并从其他制造商处购买部分飞机。