Canada Navy Canada Surface Combatant (CSC) Program

oldcpu · Oct 1, 2025

A number of news reports, have posted on L3 Harris being awarded a contract for VSS, which I missed until earlier today:

Irving Shipbuilding awards L3Harris VSS work on Canada’s River-class destroyers

and

A New Lens on Canada’s Naval Future: L3Harris Secures Key Contract for River-Class Destroyers

Both articles more or less say the same thing, albeit with different titles, and some text wording differences. Below is clipped/mixed from both articles (and not a pure quote).

Canadian shipbuilder Irving Shipbuilding has awarded tech company L3Harris a contract for work on the visual surveillance system (VSS) for Canada’s River-class destroyer (RCD) fleet.
...
This VSS contract, awarded to L3Harris, is a network of cameras, sensors, and control units that allows for real-time situational awareness, diagnostics, and ship-wide automation ...
...
The VSS ... Combining cameras, sensors, and control units into a unified network, the system provides real-time situational awareness and diagnostics across the vessel. Its integration with the IPMS ensures seamless ship-wide automation—even under degraded communications conditions. For naval operations, that means persistent awareness and survivability across uncrewed, minimally crewed, or fully crewed platforms.

There is not much more about the technical functionality and planned use of this on the River Class.

If I may take a speculative stab at this, I believe it is mainly for 'safety' and 'security' of the warships, but not nominally for combat, although there may be damage control monitoring benefits (speculation by me). I speculate, in peace time, by having VSS, it means possibly only a few harbour watchkeepers need remain on the warship in harbour, and they would be in a control area on the ship where the various feedback from the VSS can be monitored. They would have visual viewing of many compartments, and the external upper decks of the warship, so to be able to spot anything inappropriate. And if something appeared wrong, they could immediately via phone call in rapid response help.

I posted previously about the planned Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplexing System (GEDMS) for the River Class Destroyer, and I speculate that this VSS could be integrated into, and use the GEDMS for its data transmission internal to the warship.

oldcpu · Oct 1, 2025

Naval-news has a recent article on the Lionfish 30mm gun:
LEONARDO Unveils Lionfish 30 Turret at Sea Future 2025

Leonardo has unveiled the 30mm LIONFISH® 30 – part of the LIONFISH family of small- and medium-calibre turrets – developed in response to the growing demand from many naval forces for lightweight, multi-role solutions suitable for deployment on vessels tasked with patrolling and providing protection against drones and other modern threats at Sea Future 2025 exhibition in La Spezia, Italy.

The article also links to this youtube video 30mm Lionfish gun :

My understanding is the Canadian navy plans to procure 2 of these guns (one port, one starboard) for each of the River Class Destroyers.

oldcpu · Oct 3, 2025

oldcpu said:
That still (to my mind) does not confirm S-100 chosen, but it does confirm MDA have been working with Schiebel.

This is old news, and the selection of Schiebel has been noted elsewhere (albeit Schiebel themselves ONLY announced this on 10-September). I did not go looking for this until today which is why I did not post earlier.

On 10-Sep-2025, Schiebel put out a press release (link to PDF here).

Some words (not all) from the Press Release of Schiebel:

SCHIEBEL CAMCOPTER® S-100 INCLUDED IN MDA SPACE SOLUTION FOR RCN ISTAR PROGRAMME

Vienna, 10 September 2025: Schiebel announced today it has been selected by MDA Space Ltd. (TSX:MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, as part of the company’s contract award to equip the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)’s Halifax-class ships with up to six CAMCOPTER® S-100 Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
(UAS).

Schiebel will provide the CAMCOPTER® S-100, a maritime-proven solution designed to fully meet the rigorous Royal Canadian Navy’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) UAS requirements. As a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) platform capable to operate day and night in all-weather conditions, it will deliver real-time ISTAR situational awareness out to 100 nautical miles from the ship. The system supports a comprehensive suite of maritime payloads, including Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, Maritime Radar, Automatic Identification System (AIS), and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder technology. The ISTAR UAS project will significantly enhance the RCN’s ability to detect and monitor potential maritime threats, both at home and abroad.
....
About the CAMCOPTER® S-100:

Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) is an operationally proven capability for
military and civilian applications. The Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) UAS requires no prepared area or supporting equipment to enable launch and recovery. It operates by day and by night, under adverse weather conditions, with a beyond line-of-sight capability out to 200 km / 108 nm, over land and sea. Its carbon fiber and titanium fuselage provides capacity for a wide range of payload/endurance combinations up to a service ceiling of 5,500 m / 18,000 ft. In a typical configuration, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 carries a 34-kg / 75-lbs payload up to 10 hours and is powered with AVGas or JP-5 heavy fuel. High-definition payload imagery is transmitted to the control station in real time. In addition to its standard GPS waypoint or manual navigation, the S-100 can successfully operate in environments where GPS is not available, with missions planned and controlled via a simple point-and-click graphical user interface.

I wish there was more information on the payloads.

The press release does not (in my view) provide supporting evidence to indicate that this initial procurement will include an ASW capability (such as dropping sonobuoys and acting as a sonobuoy relay).

Nor does it provide any indication that there will be an ESM receiver nor a SIGINT receiver payload procured for the S-100.

Perhaps the Navy wishes to evaluate these 6 S-100s in a more operational sense, before procuring more S100s and before widening the mission of the S-100 to ESM/ASW/SIGINT (which would mean more payloads than just those hinted at in the press release, and potentially more space required on the Halifax class to store the payloads - assuming payloads are easy to change out at sea).

Again, my hope is, best possible given all that is taking place in the world today with drones also being used by surface warships, that in the design and design implementation of the River Class, that all possible missions (to the maximum extent practical) are considered in the build, making provision for such, in the River Class Destroyer.

oldcpu · Nov 16, 2025

oldcpu said:
Naval-news has a recent article on the Lionfish 30mm gun:
LEONARDO Unveils Lionfish 30 Turret at Sea Future 2025

Here is another video on the Lionfish 30mm gun:

A lot of the video depicts other (heavier calibre) Leonardo guns (such as the 127mm vulcano gun) and not just the 30-mm Lionfish gun. The audio thou is dedicated to the 30-mm Lionfish. However the video does have some good clips of the 30mm Lionfish doing test firings.

DAVEBLOGGINS · Nov 16, 2025

Hello "oldcpu". Yes, the Lionfish 30 seems to be an awsome CIWS for the RCN, and there will be 2 of them (port/stb'd) on each River Class Destroyer-(RCD) so a grand total of at least 30+ units. Whether the AOPS and the "future" Kingston Class replacement "Corvettes" will also have this weapon is something for further discusssion.

oldcpu · Nov 16, 2025

oldcpu said:
I wish there was more information on the payloads.

I note the following link on REPMUS 2025 exercise, with some information on payloads tested with the CAMCOPTER S-100

Areté Demos Next-Gen Maritime Capabilities - Arete

[...]<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://arete.com/news-article/arete-demos-next-gen-maritime-capabilities/">Read More...</a></p>

arete.com

Some extracts from that article:

At REPMUS 2025, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 carried a suite of advanced sensors, communication links and AI-assisted data fusion modules. Among the highlights was the CRFS RFeye Node 100-18 LW, a high-fidelity radio frequency intelligence sensor designed to capture spectrum activity up to 18 GHz, collect I/Q data, and enable geolocation in contested electromagnetic conditions. Installed on the CAMCOPTER® S-100, this payload demonstrated its value in delivering actionable intelligence in real time (SIGINT).
....
the CAMCOPTER® S-100 impressed with a series of demonstrations that highlighted its operational maturity and mission versatility:

Bathymetric LiDAR (Areté PILLS/PNGS): In partnership with U.S. company Areté, the S-100 carried the Pushbroom Imaging LiDAR for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) Next Generation System (PNGS). Doubling performance from legacy 60Hz to 120Hz, the technology delivered enhanced bathymetric and obstacle detection, with successful launch and recovery from a Portuguese Offshore Patrol Vessel.

Oceanwatch PT-8 Maritime Surveillance Sensor: Designed to autonomously detect small objects on the ocean surface across wide areas.

...

and another artcle:

Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 Showcases Enhanced Maritime ISR and C2 Capabilities at REPMUS 2025

At NATO’s REPMUS 2025 exercise in Portugal, Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 VTOL UAV demonstrated advanced maritime ISR and C2 capabilities with new sensors and naval integration.

milivox.media

with some extracts from that article:

During REPMUS 2025 trials aboard the Portuguese Navy’s NRP Viana do Castelo offshore patrol vessel (OPV), the CAMCOPTER was equipped with a suite of advanced ISR sensors:

L3Harris WESCAM MX-10 EO/IR turret: Provided high-definition day/night imaging with laser designation capabilities.

AIS receiver: Enabled real-time tracking of maritime traffic in congested littoral zones.

Synthetic Aperture Radar/GMTI module: Though not officially confirmed by Schiebel during this trial phase, past deployments suggest compatibility with PicoSAR or I-Master radars for all-weather detection of surface targets.

The sensor feeds were relayed in real time to onboard command centers via encrypted data links. This allowed operators to cue other assets—including manned helicopters or surface vessels—based on live target tracks generated by the UAV.
...
C4ISR Integration with NATO Networks

A key objective at REPMUS was validating how uncrewed assets like the CAMCOPTER can plug into multinational command-and-control architectures. The S-100 successfully integrated into the Portuguese Navy’s combat management system via standardized interfaces such as STANAG-compliant data formats. Additionally:

The platform supported Link-16 gateway relay functions via shipboard processors.

Sensor data was fused into common operational pictures shared across multiple NATO units participating in amphibious task group maneuvers.
...
Persistent ISR Without Carrier Decks?

This trend could make platforms like the CAMCOPTER indispensable for navies lacking aircraft carriers but seeking persistent ISR capabilities over blue-water or littoral zones—especially when paired with USVs acting as motherships or logistics nodes for rearming/refueling UAVs mid-mission cycle.

... I am curious as to which payloads the Canadian navy end up choosing, where clearly they have a choice of various ones to chose from.
My speculation is selection of the L3Harris WESCAM MX-10 EO/IR turret is a likely payload, and possibly some other payloads.

oldcpu · Dec 8, 2025

There may be better links, but I note this US document about foreign sales in regards to the Canadian Navy plans for procurement for the River Class destroyer.

Some extracts:

On May 10, 2021, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 21-17 of the possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, of
- four (4) Shipsets of the AEGIS Combat System (ACS);
- one (1) AEGIS Combat System Computer Program;
- four (4) Shipsets of AN/SPY-7 Solid State Radar Components;
- four (4) Shipsets of Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC); and
- three (3) Shipsets of the MK 41 Vertical Launch System.
...
On August 10, 2022, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 0L-22 of the addition of the following MDE items: four (4) shipsets of Global Positioning System Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Service (GPNTS).
...
This transmittal notifies the inclusion of the following additional MDE items:
- four (4) AN/WSN-12 Inertial Navigation Systems (INS);
- two (2) Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control Systems (TTWCS);
- five (5) Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS JTRS) (4 installed, 1 test asset);
- four (4) MIDS On Ship Modernized (MOS Mod);
- two (2) Command and Control Processors (C2P); and
- four (4) AN/SLQ-32(v)6 Electronic Warfare Systems (EWS).
- The following non-MDE items will also be included: Global Command and Control Systems—Maritime (GCCS-Ms); AN/WSN-7 INS; and MK 331 Torpedo Setting Panels (TSPs).
...
Justification:

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of Canada, a NATO Ally that is an important force for ensuring political stability and economic progress, and a contributor to military, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations around the world.

Ted Barnes · Friday at 7:58 PM

Interesting. It appears that Canada has gone from the 127mm main gun to the BAE 5".

oldcpu · 2025-12-27T07:02:29-0600

Ted Barnes said:
Interesting. It appears that Canada has gone from the 127mm main gun to the BAE 5".

That would surprise me if true.

I read the Canadian navy (via the prime contractor Lockheed Martin Canada) was planning to procure for each of the first batch of River Class the following equipment from Leonardo:
* OTO 127/64 lightweight (LW) volcano system
* quantity two Lioinfish 30/X 30mm stabilized remote weapon systems
* NA-30S Mk2 radar - based fire control system

I assume a better price would be obtained from Leonardo by procuring the above as a package, so changing the 127/64 gun supplier would be highly unexpected and unusual and potentially costly as there would be no longer 'one' package of those systems (if 127mm gun supplier changed).

EDIT - I also suspect that the Firecontrol system for a BAE 5-inch gun would be much more expensive than the firecontrol system for a Leonardo 127mm gun. I concede the Leonardo NA-30S Mk2 Radar would need to be integrated to CMS-330 (on River Class) and that integration would could have some expense, but possibly Canada and Germany (which is considering CMS-330 and a Leonardo 127mm for their F127) could have synergy in cost savings.

Hence even thou a Leonardo 127mm may be slightly more expensive than a BAE-5-inch, once one considers the price of the Firecontrol systems, and the possibility of a package deal from Leonardo (for 127mm + NA-30S + 30mm Lionfish), I speculate (where speculate is the operative word) that the cost of the gun + firecontrol + any integration may still be cheaper if Leonardo 127mm gun is chosen.

@ Ted_Barnes, so I am curious as to why you suspect there may be a shift.

oldcpu · 2025-12-27T09:29:09-0600

Ted Barnes said:
Interesting. It appears that Canada has gone from the 127mm main gun to the BAE 5".

Further to this, I note the initial CDR for the first 3 River Class was held some time back. To change selection now would, I suspect, be very costly.

Also, once one changes the 127mm gun (to for example the BAE 5") that also means a different firecontrol system/radar is needed. If one changes out the NA-30S Mk2 firecontrol radar , that would then possibly deny the 30-mm Lionfish use of that firecontrol system to help it sight an incoming target.

So then perhaps the 30-mm Lionfish might also need be changed (else I speculate there could be more integration costs to keep the 30-mm Lionfish compatible with a different firecontrol radar).

I note the new German F127 frigate (which is planning to have a 127mm Leonardo gun) may be going with a MSI Seahawk DS30M (speculation by me). But when I research and compare the planned F127 frigate's MSI Seahawk DS30M to the 30-mm Lionfish, I can't help come away with the sense that the 30-mm Lionfish is a newer more advanced and more capable system for dealing with drone's (compared to the Seahawk) in no small part to unique ammunition associated with and unique to the 30mm Lionfish.

Hence all those consideration puzzles me over speculation that Canada could change to a BAE 5". That speculation entails a big and not a small change , as other systems are impacted.

Of course - this is all speculation based on internet information, which can be notoriously unreliable.

Ted Barnes · 2025-12-27T12:01:08-0600

oldcpu said:
Further to this, I note the initial CDR for the first 3 River Class was held some time back. To change selection now would, I suspect, be very costly.

Also, once one changes the 127mm gun (to for example the BAE 5") that also means a different firecontrol system/radar is needed. If one changes out the NA-30S Mk2 firecontrol radar , that would then possibly deny the 30-mm Lionfish use of that firecontrol system to help it sight an incoming target.

So then perhaps the 30-mm Lionfish might also need be changed (else I speculate there could be more integration costs to keep the 30-mm Lionfish compatible with a different firecontrol radar).

I note the new German F127 frigate (which is planning to have a 127mm Leonardo gun) may be going with a MSI Seahawk DS30M (speculation by me). But when I research and compare the planned F127 frigate's MSI Seahawk DS30M to the 30-mm Lionfish, I can't help come away with the sense that the 30-mm Lionfish is a newer more advanced and more capable system for dealing with drone's (compared to the Seahawk) in no small part to unique ammunition associated with and unique to the 30mm Lionfish.

Hence all those consideration puzzles me over speculation that Canada could change to a BAE 5". That speculation entails a big and not a small change , as other systems are impacted.

Of course - this is all speculation based on internet information, which can be notoriously unreliable.

The change back to the original 5" was made some time ago. Saves money and time on integration.

DAVEBLOGGINS · 2025-12-27T14:47:41-0600

Ted Barnes said:
The change back to the original 5" was made some time ago. Saves money and time on integration.

DAVEBLOGGINS · 2025-12-27T14:53:49-0600

Ted. Can you "quote" when and where this "change back" happened? For quite some time now most were under the impression that the RCD Main Gun was always going to be the Italian Leonardo 127mm Vulcano system. It would be very expensive to change back now. Cheers!

Ted Barnes · 2025-12-27T15:52:14-0600

DAVEBLOGGINS said:
Ted. Can you "quote" when and where this "change back" happened? For quite some time now most were under the impression that the RCD Main Gun was always going to be the Italian Leonardo 127mm Vulcano system. It would be very expensive to change back now. Cheers!

Sounds like a couple of years. The guns were never bought.

oldcpu · 2025-12-27T22:40:01-0600

Ted Barnes said:
The change back to the original 5" was made some time ago. Saves money and time on integration.

Yes, i agree there will be integration costs to integrate the NA-30S Mk2 firecontrol (for the 127mm Leonardo gun) to CMS-330.

Having typed that, i think it as back in 2021, when the RCN changed from preferring the BAE 5-inch gun to the Leonardo 127mm gun. The decision was made then NOT to go for the BAE 5-inch gun.

For example there is this news article: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...o-naval-gun-systems-for-the-csc-combat-ships/

Further the Canadian government web page fact sheet on the River Class itself still very clearly states the 127mm gun will be from Leonardo.

River-Class Destroyer Fact Sheet - Canada.ca

The future Protecteur-class Joint Support Ships will replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s former Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessels and eventually be commissioned under the same names Protecteur and Preserver. The new ships will provide core replenishment, limited sealift capabilities, and...

www.canada.ca

Reference integration costs, yes in terms of interfacing the NA-30S Mk2 firecontrol radar to the CMS-330, i speculate, there will be integration costs that the RCN (via the prime contractor) will have to pay. However as I already noted, the NA-30S Mk2 is likely massively less expensive than the Mk 160 Gun Computing System (GCS) and AN/SPQ-9B firecontrol radar for the BAE 5-inch gun, so any money saved on 'integration costs' to CMS-330 will be lost due to the far more expensive firecontrol radar.

Now the Saab CEROS 200 which I believe may have been interfaced to CMS-330 (possiby on New Zealand Anzac class upgrade (unsure) - with a BAE gun) may be price competitive, however I have read nothing to suggest (as of yet) Saab firecontrol for the River Class destroyer. The Command and Control System (CMS 330 in this case) interface typically is NOT direct to the gun but rather it is to the firecontrol radar.

Also, IMHO it is likley cheaper to integrate a Fire Control system to a Command and Control System, than it is to interface a FireControl System to a gunnery system. Hence, if BAE gun is chosen, there would also need to be a different firecontrol radar chosen for the River Class.

With regard to saving time on integration, ... with respect ... given how far in the future HMCS Fraser (?), the 1st River Class is, I doubt that integrating NA-30S to CMS-330 is a schedule issue.

Hence i am skeptical about this 'change' to a BAE 5-inch gun for River Class (and believe Leonardo was last 'officially' chosen gun).

However, I have been wrong in the past , and I could be wrong now.
.

DAVEBLOGGINS · 2025-12-28T04:38:31-0600

Ted Barnes said:
Sounds like a couple of years. The guns were never bought.

" Sounds like a couple of years, the guns were never bought" Ted is not hard facts. "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" Everything that has been read or said about the RCD's main gun justifies that the Leonardo 127mm will be the gun of choice for the RCD (including from GOC sources). Why would Canada reverse it's decision this close to contract signing? Where are the "facts" (on paper) that the River Class Destroyer program will receive the BAE 5" system as it's main gun? I would very much like to see that Ted. If you cannot justify your thoughts, you are just speculating.

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