Canada down selects two shipbuilders for future sub project

HELLFIRE · 2025-08-27T02:59:11+00:00

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/08/canada-down-selects-two-shipbuilders-for-future-canadian-patrol-submarine-project/ (Published on 26/08/2025) The Government of Canada has announced that it has shortlisted two major shipbuilders to continue the procurement process for Canada’s future patrol submarine project (CPSP), which will replace the current fleet of Victoria-class submarines. … Today, the Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, and the Honourable Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement), announced that the Government of Canada has identified German company Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Korean company Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd. (Hanwha) as the 2 qualified suppliers for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). … Shared this story back in the DSLR days. Figured was worth updating for fellow Canadians. According to the article, France’s Naval Group, Spain’s Navantia and Sweden’s Saab was also in the running. Regards

HELLFIRE

FWIW : https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/not-made-in-the-usa-canada-is-buying-12-new-submarines-and-the-contract-is-worth-12000000000/ – Not Made in the USA: Canada Is Buying 12 New Submarines — And The Contract Is Worth $12,000,000,000

Recaps most of the known details : that the Victoria-class is long in tooth and has maintainability problems, that the finalists are Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, gives a brief summary of TKMS’ Type 212CD and Hanwha’s KSS-III,

Of note is this observation :

A finalist is expected sometime in June, and now the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is more of a lobbying campaign than a formal competition. … Building a 12-boat submarine fleet is one thing, but operating and maintaining a fleet that size is something else entirely. …

We’ll See and Extremeties Crossed….

Regards

Dks01

HELLFIRE

South Korea’s Hanwha showcases submarine as Ottawa mulls multibillion-dollar contract
The vessel, visiting Victoria, will take part in joint exercises with Royal Canadian Navy

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/south-korean-hanwha-submarine-contract-9.7210058

Take it out for a drive!

HELLFIRE

CBC put this up a few days ago :

Regards

Astyanax

How could you go wrong with a German submarine manufacturer? 😄

Thane_Bitter

Astyanax They aren’t made by BMW or Mercedes, so those jokes don’t apply.

mrweather

Das Boot?

HELLFIRE

FWIW : https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/two-countries-are-battling-to-build-canadas-submarines-almost-no-one-is-asking-what-the-subs-are-for/ – Two Countries Are Battling to Build Canada’s Submarines. Almost No One Is Asking What the Subs Are For

… Germany has sent Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to Ottawa to make the case for its bid and has even floated measures intended to accelerate deliveries. South Korea has wrapped its proposal in a broad industrial package that reaches well beyond shipbuilding … that is enough to make old hands in Ottawa a little suspicious. …

Regards

InternetJeff

HELLFIRE Almost No One Is Asking What the Subs Are For

That’s dang peculiar, if true.

I assume these subs will not be nuclear powered. Will they aid in deterrence by having a SLBM capability? Will they serve in an offensive or defensive role? What sort of armaments are envisioned?

Normally the requirements for a weapon system procurement are defined well in advance, with some form of very general mission and capabilities statement available to the public. Maybe that exists somewhere.

HELLFIRE

InternetJeff That’s dang peculiar, if true.

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2024/07/canada-launching-process-to-acquire-up-to-12-conventionally-powered-submarines.html

… In response to these emerging security challenges, in Our North, Strong and Free, the Government of Canada committed to exploring options for renewing and expanding our submarine fleet, in order to allow Canada to detect and deter threats and control our maritime approaches. We made this commitment because Canada’s current fleet of four Victoria-class submarines is becoming increasingly obsolete and expensive to maintain. Canada needs a new fleet of submarines to protect our sovereignty from emerging security threats. …

Our North, Strong and Free papers here in HTML and PDF formats :

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/north-strong-free-2024.html

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/dnd-mdn/documents/corporate/reports-publications/2024/north-strong-free-2024-v2.pdf

Mind you these are high-level governmental documents, I am not aware of any Canada National Defense or RCN documents going into the nuts-and-bolts particulars.

Either way, as click-bait as the “Almost No One Is Asking What the Subs Are For” portion of the title was, there was definitely some nuggets of information and consideration that were worthwhile in reading.

Regards

Dks01

What are they for? Look at the specs that we know of. Diesel electric. Stealth. Under ice capacity for up to 3 weeks. Drone capacity. Torpedo and land attack missile capability. Choice is either NATO allies or a new South Pacific ally.

InternetJeff

Dks01

Those are all capabilities. What purpose(s) will those capabilities serve? What are they for? Usually in military procurement there is a general mission statement that guides the purpose of the weapon system.

Dks01

InternetJeff Usually in military procurement there is a general mission statement that guides the purpose of the weapon system.

This is Canada. We do things differently here. Please don’t assume your “rules” are our rules. What I have found is in the public domain.

InternetJeff

Dks01 Please don’t assume your “rules” are our rules

Where did I do that? Besides, the concepts of sound military procurement are universal. First you establish specific requirements, and then you match capabilities to those requirements. One would presume that Canada operates no differently, and some info that HELLFIRE posted may elaborate on that further.

Dks01

InternetJeff Again, you make assumptions. Nothing specific has been made public.

HELLFIRE

ADDNEDUM: the Wikipedia entry on the CSP cites but doesn’t link to a purported document of Canada’s requirements of the submarines : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Patrol_Submarine#cite_note-6

The platform shall be a submarine that can perform patrol and surveillance missions in Canada’s maritime approaches and littoral waters.
The platform shall be conventionally powered (diesel-electric).
The platform shall have an operational range of at least 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) on diesel fuel at 8 knots.
The platform shall be able to transit at least 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) submerged on batteries/AIP before snorting.
The platform shall be able to operate in first-year Arctic ice (up to 1 m thick) and survive in polar-class cold-weather conditions.
The platform shall have a low acoustic signature consistent with modern SSK design standards (radiated noise ≤ 110 dB/1 μPa/√Hz re 1 Hz at 1 kHz).
The platform shall be fitted with a bow sonar array, flank arrays, and a towed array sonar.
The platform shall have at least six 533 mm torpedo tubes and be able to store and launch torpedoes, missiles, mines and UUVs.
The platform shall provide secure VLF/HF/UHF and SATCOM communications with Canadian and allied networks.
The platform shall be fully interoperable with NATO and Five-Eyes submarine rescue and C4ISR standards.
The platform shall meet survivability criteria for shock, fire, flooding and chemical-biological-radiological threats.
The platform shall accommodate a mixed-gender crew of at least 60 personnel for deployments up to 60 days without resupply.
The platform shall be designed for through-life support in Canada, including training simulators and Canadian-sourced spare parts.
The platform shall deliver minimum 25 % Canadian content by value over the total programme life.
The platform shall be certified to Transport Canada/RMRS safety rules and be upgradeable through at least two mid-life modernisations.

however my google-fu had no luck in locating an online copy of this document.

Also just ran across this which gives a deeper comparison between the South Korean and German proposals : https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/06/09/navigating_the_deep_an_analysis_of_the_canadian_patrol_submarine_project_cpsp_1187505.html – Navigating the Deep: An Analysis of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP)

The [South Korean] package focuses heavily on direct manufacturing muscle and high-tech infrastructure:

The Automotive and Steel Tie-In … Naval Infrastructure: … The Aerospace Expansion: …

[The German proposal] includes establishing domestic facilities for manufacturing heavy torpedoes and anti-torpedo systems, alongside non-defense investments such as funding carbon capture infrastructure and developing the Port of Churchill in Manitoba for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and critical mineral exports to Europe.

Offhand, I’m not aware of Canada looking into Tomahawk cruise missiles, but Canada does have a long history with the USN’s Mk48 torpedo. As I recall, the changeover from the extant UK’s Tigerfish / Spearfish to Mk48 capability was one of the things that drove up the cost of the Upholder / Victoria-class SSKs.

Regards

egeezer

HELLFIRE
I would not be surprised that there are classified specifications and capabilities that Canada wisely precluded from unclassified publication. Today’s threat environment from both hemispheres would make such redactions prudent.

Dks01

The decision will come within a week.

OTTAWA – Choosing the winning bid for Canada’s next generation submarine fleet is coming down to the wire. Analysts say the race between the two contenders, German-Norwegian consortium ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and South Korea’s Hanwha, is too close to call.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has previously said that a decision would be made before the end of June, but sources tell CTV News that the announcement will be delayed a few days. It will likely come before Carney leaves for the July 7 NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Türkiye.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/will-the-germans-or-south-koreans-emerge-as-canadas-sub-deal-winner/

Dks01

The announcement will be made today. Informed speculation suggests Hanwha Ocean may be announced as the winner.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will fly to Halifax this afternoon, where he plans to make an announcement at a military base in the city. CTV News has reported that the PM will be declaring the winner of the multi-billion-dollar contract to supply new submarines to the Royal Canadian Navy.

Part of Canada’s existing submarine fleet sails from CFB Halifax. The city is also home to Irving Shipbuilding, which has been in talks with Hanwha Ocean, one of the two companies competing for the contract, along with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.

Hill Times 26/07/06 (Paywall)

Dks01

Looks like the speculation was wrong.

The Canadian government has chosen a German company to build Canada’s new submarine fleet.

Two senior industry sources with knowledge of the process have confirmed to CTV News that Germany’s TKMS will be awarded the lucrative contract for 12 new submarines.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will officially announce the decision, which was first reported by the Globe and Mail, in Halifax on Monday before heading to a NATO leaders’ summit in Turkiye.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/canada-chooses-german-company-to-build-new-submarine-fleet-sources/

Donoreo

The fact Norway and Germany use them, offered us subs being built for each early and offering shared maintenance facilities, makes sense.

« Previous Page Next Page »