Canada Navy Canada Surface Combatant (CSC) Program

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BAE Systems opened the first Visualization Suite for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) officially on 26 November at its offices in Ottawa. BAE Systems were honoured to mark the occasion with Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan, and Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Vice Admiral Art McDonald in attendance for a tour of the suite.

The visualization technology will transform the way warships are designed, built and delivered for the Royal Canadian Navy. Using the technology to create a virtual prototype and “Digital Twin” enables a deep understanding of the vessel and the experience of those serving on board before manufacturing begins.

The technology allows a fully detailed view of the ship’s design from any angle or area with the ability to inspect and examine equipment and systems quickly and easily, a key benefit in maturing and ensuring design, and in supporting the program’s prime contractor, Irving Shipbuilding, as it plans for build. The engineers are able to mature design across countries and time zones, working together with our partners and customer to create the right ship for Canada.

The Canadian Surface Combatant is being designed to meet Canada’s unique needs and will deliver immense economic benefits in Canada from across the program team. Our visualisation technology promotes efficiency, quality and safety in the CSC program for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Government of Canada.

The CSC team, includes BAE Systems as ship designer, Lockheed Martin Canada leading the design team and Irving Shipbuilding as prime contractor who will build the CSC at their Halifax Shipyard. Over 10,000 people are employed in Canada collectively across all the partner companies supporting the design of the Canadian Surface Combatant, with thousands more in long-term, high-value job creation.
 

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Canadian equipment that taxpayers spent hundreds of millions of dollars to develop isn’t being used on the country’s new $70-billion fleet of warships because the consortium that won the bid selected its own affiliated companies and their foreign systems.

A number of Canadian firms repeatedly tried to warn ministers and deputy ministers at the Department of National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada as well as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada that they would be shut out of the Canadian Surface Combatant project, according to federal government documents obtained by this newspaper.

Those concerns were ignored. Instead, Canada left it up to the winning consortium, in this case, the U.S.-controlled Lockheed Martin Canada and BAE of the United Kingdom to determine the equipment that would make up key components of the proposed 15-fleet Canadian Surface Combatant, or CSC fleet. By selecting the consortium’s Type 26 warship design for the CSC, the Royal Canadian Navy automatically agreed to what Lockheed Martin had determined was the best equipment for it to use.

In the last week, this newspaper has chronicled multiple issues with the CSC project, the most expensive military procurement in Canada’s history. This newspaper reviewed thousands of pages of documents, obtained through sources and through the access to information law, to reveal how the CSC’s budget has spiralled upward and upward and how government officials previously tried to block the cost of the project from becoming public.

In an email, DND defended its choice that shut out inclusion on the CSC of Canadian-made propulsion systems, sonar and communication systems, as well as radar. The Canadian-based firms that build those systems employ hundreds of people in the high-tech sector.

“By selecting the design, Canada has selected the associated equipment,” said DND spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande. She noted DND is “confident that we have competitively selected the best design to meet Canada’s needs.”

(More at link)
 

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Royal Canadian Navy press release


Life onboard the new CSC will be exciting for RCN sailors, as these ships will embrace leading edge technology and improved habitability, and are designed to take them well into the latter half of the 21st Century.


How do technological advancements impact operations onboard the ship? Well for starters, a sailor will be able to view on one computer terminal or platform various streams of digital content/information originating from different sources – a process called convergence. Convergence will allow any operations room or bridge terminal to show video or data feeds from any sensor, weapon, or software support system. Not only does this mean that leadership teams will have real-time warfare and platform data at their fingertips from various onboard locations, it also means that the physical space and power required to run multiple terminals will be reduced.


Until recently, electronic systems onboard a warship such as the weapons and sensor systems, took up space, and lots of it. However, with the application of widespread digitization and use of solid state electronics onboard the CSC, dedicated space requirements have been considerably reduced, while the capability and flexibility of these systems have been increased. By capitalizing on miniaturization and digitization, much of this new-found square footage can be freed up to improve working and habitability conditions, including making accommodations and personal living spaces better for the crew.


Multi-function equipment will be incorporated wherever practical onboard the CSC. For example, a single digital beam-forming radar can replace multiple traditional radars, software-defined radios can be setup to support different communications requirements on the fly, and programmable multi-purpose weapons will be able to engage more than one kind of target, while being controlled from a common vertical launcher. Multi-functionality even extends to the CSC’s modular mission bay: a reconfigurable space able to accommodate and integrate any container payload imaginable.


When taken as a whole, the technology advancements that will be incorporated into the CSC means the single-class, single variant choice, coupled with the inherent and multi-role capabilities that it will bring, will serve Canadian interests for decades into the future. The CSC is the right choice for the RCN and the right choice for Canada.

-End-

Canada’s defence policy, “Strong, Secure, Engaged” (SSE), has committed to investing in 15 Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ships. In February 2019, the Government of Canada confirmed that the bid from Lockheed Martin Canada has been selected for the design and design team for the Canadian Surface Combatants. Irving Shipbuilding Inc., the project’s prime contractor, awarded a sub-contract to Lockheed Martin Canada for work to finalize the design. The winning bid is based on the BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ship.


These ships will be Canada’s major surface component of maritime combat power. With its effective warfare capability and versatility, it can be deployed rapidly anywhere in the world, either independently or as part of a Canadian or international coalition. The CSC will be able to deploy for many months with a limited logistic footprint.


The CSC will be able to conduct a broad range of tasks, including:

  • Delivering decisive combat power at sea;
  • Supporting the Canadian Armed Forces, and Canada’s Allies ashore;
  • Conducting counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, interdiction and embargo operations for medium intensity operations; and
  • Delivering humanitarian aid, search and rescue, law and sovereignty enforcement for regional engagements.

The ship’s capability suite includes:

  • Four integrated management systems, one each for the combat system, platform systems, bridge and navigation systems and a cyber-defence system;
  • A digital beam forming Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar (the SPY-7 by Lockheed Martin) and solid state illuminator capability;
  • The USN Cooperative Engagement Capability system;
  • A vertically launched missile system supporting long, short and close-in missile defence, long-range precision naval fires support and anti-ship engagements;
  • A 127mm main gun system and dual 30mm gun mounts;
  • A complete electronic warfare and countermeasures suite;
  • A fully integrated underwater warfare system with bow-mounted sonar, towed low frequency active and passive sonar, lightweight torpedoes and decoys;
  • Fully integrated communications, networking and data link capabilities; and
  • A CH-148 Cyclone multi-role helicopter, multi-role boats and facilities for embarking remotely piloted systems.

CSC Specifications:

  • Length: 151.4 metres
  • Beam: 20.75 metres
  • Speed: 27 knots
  • Displacement: 7,800 tonnes
  • Navigational Draught: ~8m
  • Range: 7000 nautical miles
  • Class: 15 ships
  • Accommodations: ~204

For more technical details on CSC, check out our in-depth article:

 

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It will be at least a decade before Canada sees any of its new frigates​


New frigates are being packed with more combat capability than comparable ships of allies​

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Feb 13, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: February 13

british-type-26-frigate.jpg

An artist's rendering of the British Type 26 frigate. (BAE Systems Inc./Lockheed Martin Canada)
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It will be 2031, at the earliest, before the navy sees the first of its new frigates; a setback brought about partly by the fact Canada, Britain and Australia are still feeling their way around how to build the ultra-modern warship.
The outgoing president of Irving Shipbuilding Inc., which is in charge of constructing combat ships for the federal government, said he anticipates steel will be cut on the first of the new generation high-end warships by mid-2024.
"We have been trying to take an honest look at where we are and what it will take to build the ship," said Kevin McCoy who recently announced his retirement from the East Coast shipbuilder.
The current estimate is that it will take up to seven-and-a-half years to build the surface combatant, a timeline being used by Britain's BAE Systems Inc., which is constructing the first of what's known as the Type 26 design.
Both Canada and Australia are building their own variants.
"Early on [in the shipbuilding process] estimates are not very good," said McCoy. "Early estimates are not very good for price; they're not very good for size; they're not not very good for duration," McCoy said. "The British ship has a seven-and-a-half year build cycle. So, we're locked in. We said our build cycle will be seven-and-a-half years as well."
If they can find ways to speed up the process, they will, he said.
If that timeline holds, it means the federal government's marquee shipbuilding strategy will be two decades old by the time it produces the warship it was principally set up to create.
While Irving has been pumping out smaller, less complicated arctic patrol ships and Seaspan, in Vancouver, is building coast guard and science vessels, the strategy conceived by the former Conservative government was driven by the necessity of replacing the navy's current fleet of Halifax-class frigates.
Originally, when the shipbuilding strategy was unveiled, it envisioned Canada receiving the first new frigate in 2017. A lot of water, wishful thinking and even money has gone under the bridge since then.

Building off existing design​

The current Liberal government, since taking over in 2015 and embracing the strategy, has been opaque in its public estimates of the build time; suggesting, in some documents, a delivery time in mid-2020s while other more internal records have pegged the first new frigate in the 2027 timeframe.
The Department of National Defence, in a statement, acknowledged some of the design and build intricacies are now better understood, and because of that; the first warship will be "approximately 2-3 years later than the previous estimate."
A spokeswoman echoed McCoy's remarks about finding ways to move construction along.
"We continue to look for efficiencies and are actively working with industry to accelerate the project in order to deliver this important platform to the RCN as soon as possible," said National Defence spokesperson Jessica Lamirande.
One of the ways they could do that, she said, would be to construct some, less complex modules of the warship early, the way it has been in the navy's Joint Support Ship project at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyard.
McCoy, a blunt-talking former U.S. Navy admiral, suggested the expectations going to the surface combatant program were ultimately unworkable because the federal government came in expecting to do a so-called "clean sheet" design; meaning a warship built completely from scratch.
It was the shipyard, he said, which ultimately inched the federal government toward building off an existing design because of the enormous risk and expense of purpose-built ships, a position the Liberals adopted in the spring of 2016.
The selection of the British Type 26 design by the Liberal government has spawned criticism, a court challenge and will figure prominently in upcoming reports by the auditor general and the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Combat capability packed into ship​

The nub of the complaints have been that the frigate is not yet in the water and is still under construction in the United Kingdom.
The defence department acknowledged that adapting the British design to Canadian expectations and desires will take a year longer than originally anticipated and is now not scheduled to be completed until late 2023, early 2024.
Canada, McCoy said, can expect to pay no more $2.5 billion to $3 billion, per ship as they are produced, which is, he claimed, about what other nations would pay for a warship of similar capability.
"This is a big ship, lots of capability" he said, indicating that full displacement for the new frigate will likely be about 9,400 tonnes; almost double the 4,700 tonnes of the current Halifax-class.
McCoy said what is not generally understood amid the public concern over scheduling and cost is the fact that the Canadian version of the Type 26 will be expected to do more than its British and Australian cousins.
Where those navies have different warships, performing different functions, such as air defence or anti-submarine warfare, Canada's one class of frigates will be expected to perform both because that is what the government has called for in its requirements.
Dave Perry, a defence analyst and vice president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, has studied the program and said he was surprised at the amount of combat capability that was being packed into the new warship.
"On the one hand, Canada's one [class] of ship will have more combat capability than many of the other classes of ship that our friends and allies sail with, but it also adds an additional level of complexity and challenge getting all of that gear, all of that firepower into one single floating hull and platform," he said.

 

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The Department of National Defence (DND) thanks the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) for its work, and welcomes its report on the Canadian Surface Combatant. Reports such as this one serve a critical role in validating our project costs, while supporting our shared objective of ensuring that the best value is provided to Canadians.

After reviewing the report, we find that the key differences in our cost estimates can be primarily attributed to the PBO including provincial sales tax and the additional emphasis PBO puts on weight-related costing.

We conducted extensive research to ensure that the selected Type 26 design will provide the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) with the modern and capable warships it needs to support operations. The design was selected following an open, fair, and transparent competitive procurement process, in which performance against the RCN’s requirements was a key selection criteria. As the PBO noted the other design options that they examined would have “more limited” and “modest” capabilities than our selected design. These reductions would impede the RCN’s ability to execute its assigned roles and missions to keep Canadians safe both at home and abroad.

While we recognize the differences in our calculations, we are confident in our current estimate of $56 billion to $60 billion (before taxes). This accurately reflects the value of this project, and is based on our detailed costing model and ongoing work with industry. As we adapt the design to meet the needs of the RCN and confirm more details related to the ship’s combat and support systems, we gain greater confidence in our costing.



READ: BUILDING CANADA'S NEE NAVAL FLEET - UPDATE ON CANADA'S NATIONAL SHIPBUILDING STRATEGY



Delivery timelines continue to be reviewed and are not final. We are actively working with industry to accelerate the project in order to deliver these important ships to the RCN as soon as possible. One way this will be done is by starting construction of the simpler zones of the ship while the design work on the more complex sections continues, similar to what we have done for the Joint Support Ship.

The report also calculated the costs of selecting a new design for the CSC project. This is not an option we will be pursuing. As the PBO accurately states throughout the report, there are important differences in capabilities when comparing the cost of these three designs.

Selecting a new design at this stage in the project would lead to significant economic loss for Canada’s marine industry and those employed in it. It would have major operational impacts for the RCN, due to associated project delays and life-extension requirements, as well as increasing the costs to operate and maintain more than one class of ships in the future.

Additionally, launching a new competitive process would not guarantee that a new design would result in a lower cost, and would certainly incur additional project management costs related to launching a new procurement process and restarting the required design work.

In addition to providing an invaluable investment into the future operational capability of the RCN, the CSC is also at the core of our Government’s commitment to revitalize Canada’s marine industry through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, which supports over 15,000 jobs per year. This project will provide significant and long-standing investments into the Canadian economy from coast to coast during construction and over decades throughout the CSC’s operational life.

The CSC is the right ship for the RCN, and will provide the best value for the military, Canada, and the Canadian economy. We remain confident that the capability and versatility of the selected CSC design will equip the RCN with the modern, capable, and effective fleet of 15 surface combatants that it will need to support operations for decades to come. We will continue ongoing work to support the start of construction in 2023/2024.
 

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Home»News»Ultra to provide Hull-Mounted Sonar for Canadian Surface Combatant


Ultra image.

Ultra To Provide Hull-Mounted Sonar For Canadian Surface Combatant​

Ultra is delighted to announce a contract award to commence work on the S2150-C Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS) system for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program.​

Naval News Staff 18 Feb 2021

Ultra Sonar Systems press release

This award comes soon after Ultra’s recent award of a contract to provide the CSC Variable Depth Sonar (VDS). These subcontracts move the development of CSC’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability from the program definition phase into the substantive manufacture and delivery of the vessels’ suite of sonars.

The Ultra HMS selected for CSC is part of the world’s most advanced HMS product family, with a level of operational performance that meets stringent Canadian technical requirements. Additionally, its innovative design provides significant ship design advantages as well as logistical benefits and cost-savings in the maintenance and upgrade of the system through its operational life.

The S2150-C HMS system is a prime example of the inward technology transfer and sovereign capability that the CSC program is building for Canada. The system was originally designed for the UK Type 26 platform, meaning it is optimized for the vessel design that has been selected for the CSC program. This technology will now be transferred to Canada, with Canadian workers and Canadian suppliers being skilled up to provide significant material elements of the system, as well as to conduct design customization, system integration, installation, acceptance and in-country support. Furthermore, due to the same HMS system family being present on the UK program as well as the Australian Hunter Class frigate program, Canadian suppliers will have the opportunity to be considered as suppliers to these programs, thus lifting the export potential Canadian industry as a result of CSC.

More broadly, Ultra is proud that its work on the CSC program is proving to be an important vector for growth of Canadian jobs, innovation and investment. In the two years since having been originally awarded program definition studies for CSC, working in close partnership with Lockheed Martin Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc, Ultra’s Canadian team has grown by over 150 employees, with another 80 high-tech roles expected to be made available in 2021 alone.

The program is also triggering major Canadian investment decisions by Ultra in terms of facilities, inward technology transfer and research partnerships which will be announced through the course of 2021. Overall, Ultra’s role on CSC is a very good example of the Industrial and Technological Benefits that the program is providing to Canada, and of the enduring impact that the program will have on sovereign naval capability for the nation.

“I am very proud to be leading Ultra’s team in the delivery of the CSC sonar suite. We are providing the Royal Canadian Navy with a world-leading capability in anti-submarine warfare, and at the same time bringing technologies, jobs, innovation and investment into Canada. Alongside our partners on the CSC program – most notably Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and Lockheed Martin – we are laying the foundation for a sustained sovereign naval capability for the nation”.


Isabel Tassé, Ultra’s Senior Program Manager for CSC
 

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Report: Canada's New Frigates Will Cost $4B Each, Including Taxes​


bae-canadian-surface-combatant-csc.cc5035.jpg

Illustration courtesy BAE Systems

Canada's parliamentary budget expert has completed a new estimate of the cost of the Royal Canadian Navy's future series of frigates, pegging the likely total at roughly US$62 billion for 15 hulls - about $14 billion more than the service's most recent public estimate and about three times the estimate in 2015.

Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux delivered the much-anticipated new estimate for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) along with a range of alternative scenarios. If Canada scrapped its Type 26-based design altogether and built a warship based on Fincantieri's FREMM frigate, then the unit cost would remain roughly the same at about $4 billion each - but the production timeline would likely be pushed back by about four years, Giroux estimated. (The United States will likely pay about $1.2 billion each for its own FREMM-based frigates, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office.)

If the Royal Canadian Navy truncated the production of the CSC to three units, then substituted a dozen less-capable vessels based on the UK's Type 31 frigate, it could shave about $32 billion off the program cost. The UK Royal Navy has taken a similar approach.

At the lowest end, if the RCN eliminated the CSC altogether and built a series of Type 31-based vessels instead, it could reduce the program cost by $40 billion - but Canada's surface navy would have limited capabilities for decades to come.

In a response, Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) said that the $14 billion difference in project cost calculations stemmed primarily from the PBO's inclusion of provincial sales tax and its extra emphasis on "weight-related costing." It defended the CSC as the best available option and ruled out starting over with a new design.

"As the PBO noted the other design options that they examined would have 'more limited' and 'modest' capabilities than our selected design. These reductions would impede the RCN’s ability to execute its assigned roles and missions to keep Canadians safe both at home and abroad," wrote DND.

The department said that it is confident in its cost estimates (before taxes) and promised that it is working to expedite delivery of the CSC, including through the use of concurrent design and construction - the practice of building portions of a vessel before the rest of the detailed design has been completed.

 

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Similar case like Aussie submarine?

In a way, but there are differences too. Aussie case is one driven by selecting the wrong over-designed platform (SSN) for a SSK and then delays to resdesign all that (and still have over-designed bits to it adding severe costs).

Canada one its because it took its sweet time since 2010 (when CSC first accounced) and then delegating huge parts of selection of the bidders by the shipyard (irving) rather than a more govt involved fair process...so basically LM+BAe got a big leg up in bargaining power having worked with irving before on lot of stuff.

Then add to that a whole host of time-delays given the shipyard capacity itself (handling all the warship projects both CSC and the dewolf icebreaker OPVs too).

Delays = money, each year of delay (given tied up capital and labour etc) costs about 2 billion dollars itself.

There is now further cost cascading because since LM is comfy in being chosen, it picks lot of the weapons packages, sensor suites etc as well rather than have more accountability (from govt side) on those.

Here is a good read on it all if you have a little time and interest:

 

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A good read on the issues at hand:


Have you ever witnessed someone do something utterly shocking, but because they have done it so many times, you are no longer capable of being shocked on an emotional level, even though intellectually you know you should feel something?

That is where everyone who pays any attention to Canadian defence procurement is right now, and has been for years if not decades.

This week the parliamentary budget officer, Yves Giroux, went through the annual ritual of revealing that the Royal Canadian Navy’s badly needed frigates will now cost more money, and will arrive later than expected. What began as a $26-billion project 13 years ago will now take an extra decade, and will likely cost $77 billion. And, spoiler alert, Giroux added that the final price tag may (read: most certainly will) exceed $82 billion.

How many thousands of ships will we get in return? 15.

Canada could buy similar frigates from the Americans, French or even Australians. Our current price tag is between four and five times more expensive than theirs. Why? No one ever really has an answer. Our defence officials continually tweak the designs, with more and more expensive additions. Our sclerotic shipbuilding industry can’t tie its own shoes on time or on budget. And both have small armies of supporters who convince gullible Canadian politicians that there is nothing more sacred than a shipbuilding job. All of them and none of them are to blame. It is what it is: a chronic, painful, incurable, mess.

If you stop reading here, I get it. I want to stop writing. There is possibly no other issue in Canadian politics as tedious and draining as defence procurement. Literally everything the Canadian military buys turns into an obscenely expensive mess. Just off the top of my head I can list uniforms, supply vessels, used submarines, search and rescue aircraft, drones, tanks, trucks, strategic lift aircraft, F-35s, Chinook helicopters, their new headquarters, rifles, and of course the legendary Sea Kings, as recent examples of purchases that took decades to complete and went over budget by astronomical amounts.

As a result, Canada’s armed forces have become increasingly ill-equipped (to the point that we no longer even have workable submarines or a navy capable of crossing the Atlantic unassisted). Every Canadian government, as far back as the 1960s, has dealt with a procurement scandal. And every single Canadian has picked up the tab, year after year after year. It’s long past time we put an end to this insanity.

Let’s accept the fact, proven repeatedly for decades, that Canada is simply incapable of building ships for our navy. And then, let’s just buy the damn things from the French, get them years earlier, and save ourselves $66 billion.

“But what about the jobs?!” I can hear the lobbyists cry. Yes, let’s talk about the jobs. According to the government of Canada’s own figures, only 11,100 people are employed in Canada’s shipbuilding industry (we have more massage therapists). If we were to add on those indirectly employed, that number creeps up to 15,200. Now, let’s pretend the Canadian frigate contract is the only shipbuilding job out there, and buying from France would mean every one of those 15,200 people would be out of work. If we were to give each of them $1 million in compensation, Canada would still save over $50 billion (in addition to getting the ships faster).

After that is done, let’s make sure this never happens again by making it illegal to buy warships made in Canada. This would relieve pressure on future governments to re-open this Pandora’s Box of madness and waste. When some future scion of the Irving family demands to know why Canada is not paying billions for new ships, future prime ministers can just shrug and explain their hands are tied. “We tried that. For a long time. It never worked. Sorry.”

To be extra safe, we may also want to legislatively remove all Canadian defence officials and bureaucrats from any future ship procurement process. We could implement a form of conservatorship—appoint experts from countries that can build ships (such as Australia or France), and task them with deciding what we need and when we need it. This sounds extreme, but let’s be objective here: how many more decades of waste and failure do we need to prove our officials are utterly incapable of this task.

I wish I was being satirical, but really, at this point the question is not, “Can Canada figure out how to buy naval frigates responsibly?” The only question is, “What can we do to end this insane cycle of waste and incompetence?”
 

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1618832908988.png

MBDA has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Canada to equip the Royal Canadian Navy's new Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) with the Sea Ceptor air defence weapon system.​

Xavier Vavasseur 19 Apr 2021

MBDA press release

Utilising the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) as its effector, Sea Ceptor will undertake the Close-In Air Defence System (CIADS) role on-board the new CSC frigates.

Sea Ceptor provides exceptional self-defence performance, with a rapid response time and a high rate of fire to defeat multiple threats simultaneously. Its state-of-the-art Soft Vertical Launch (SVL) technology enables full 360° coverage with close range performance normally only associated with trainable launcher systems. Sea Ceptor will be integrated with Lockheed Martin Canada’s Combat Management System 330 (CMS 330) as part of a multi-tier air defence capability. The CAMM missiles will be quad packed in Lockheed Martin’s Extensible Launcher System (ExLS), which is part of the Mk41 family of vertical launcher systems.

MBDA’s role on CSC will create a positive impact on the Canadian defence industry and its supply chain through Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy. This contract will bring significant investment by MBDA in research and development to Canada across a wide range of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and advanced materials. This investment will be made across small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), academia and other key industries across Canada, supporting high technology jobs. In addition, the CSC program will further strengthen the partnership between MBDA and Lockheed Martin Canada, which has already seen Sea Ceptor and CMS330 providing world-class air defence capabilities to the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Chilean Navy.

We are delighted to be awarded this contract, and to play a part in contributing to such an important programme to Canada. Sea Ceptor delivers next generation technology that will help protect the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy as they carry out their missions around the world on-board the advanced new CSC frigates.”


Éric Béranger, CEO of MBDA
-End-

Naval News comments:
The press release issued today is the official confirmation of the information first published by the Royal Canadian Navy back in the Fall last year. As we wrote at the time, an MBDA source shed some light on how the Sea Ceptor was selected in addition to the ESSM. The two missiles were not competing against each other. Raytheon’s ESSM was selected to provide “point defense”. Instead, MBDA pitched its missile for the RCN’s close in weapons system (CIWS) requirement. The Sea Ceptor beat out systems usually used in that role such as the RAM, SeaRam or Phalanx.

1618832954346.png

These are likely the ExlS cells for MBDA’s Sea Ceptor. The configuration would be 6 cells each carrying four missiles.

The final Sea Ceptor configuration aboard the CSC still needs finalized and confirmed but it will likely be 24x missiles launched from Lockheed Martin’s Extensible Launching System (ExLS) located amidship. The RCN would become the launch customer for that new launcher alongside the Brazilian Navy (for its new corvette design based on the TKMS MEKO A-100) depending on who signs the contract first.

For the record, MBDA announced last month the first contract for Albatros NG (for an undisclosed customer), which uses the extended range version of the missile, known as CAMM-ER.

 

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  • Leonardo has been awarded a contract to supply four OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano naval guns for the Royal Canadian Navy’s new multi-role combat ships. The contract was further to a competitive international tender
  • The OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano is the best performing gun system on the market and it is the only one integrated with 127 Vulcano guided ammunition. Its highly flexible architecture overcomes installation constraints to fit on all types of platforms
  • Leonardo has been a trusted Canadian partner for more than 50 years with interests and commercial opportunities spanning from naval systems to helicopters to airport solutions to logistics. Through Leonardo Canada, this new CSC contract will involve our local entity Leonardo DRS, in addition to small and medium local enterprises potentially in Ontario and Atlantic provinces, creating positive economic impact in Canada.

Leonardo will supply to Lockheed Martin Canada four OTO 127/64 LightWeight (LW) Vulcano naval guns, including the Automatic Ammunition Handling System (AAHS) as an optional solution, for the new Canadian Surface Combatants (CSC), which will be built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. at the Halifax shipyard in Nova Scotia. The first three systems will be installed on-board the new naval units, while the fourth will be used for training activities. The CSC programme’s aim is the construction of 15 advanced and multi-mission combat ships as part of the broader National Shipbuilding Strategy, a long-term project focusing on the renewal of the entire Canadian fleet.

Already chosen by six navies in the last ten years, the OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano is the best performing gun system on the market, equipped with a highly flexible architecture that allows installation on all types of platforms. Its state-of-the-art technology and complete digitalization ensures continuous assistance to operators and constant support to the on-board Combat Management System (CMS) through the calculation of possible shooting solutions during mission planning.

This system is the only one in the world seamlessly integrated with the Vulcano 127mm ammunition, both in the Guided Long Range (GLR) and the Ballistic Extended Range (BER) versions. Additionally, Leonardo’s 4AP fuze for conventional ammunition ensures high operational flexibility based on its mission-specific configuration programmability features. The OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano operates effectively even in the absence of a crew, thanks to Leonardo's AAHS solution, which guarantees automatic gun reloading by managing both Vulcano long-range precision strike and conventional ammunition simultaneously.

Leonardo’s interests and opportunities in Canada span from naval systems to helicopters to airport solutions to logistics. A trusted Canadian partner for more than 50 years, and with more than 400 employees in the country, the Company is a leading provider of products, capabilities and skill sets in the defence sector through innovative technologies and integrated services. Leonardo is strongly committed to the long-term success of Canada’s world-class defence industry and continued support and engagement with indigenous businesses. Operating in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Leonardo DRS has been a long-standing supplier of advanced naval communications, surveillance and power conversion systems to the Royal Canadian Navy for over 30 years.

This CSC contract will create a positive impact on the Canadian defence industry and its supply chain through Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy. It is planned that Leonardo DRS’ Ottawa facility will participate in the production of select system components, contributing to direct ITB commitments. Leonardo will also involve and invest in the growth of Canadian small and medium local enterprises, engaging with potential partner companies present in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. In addition, Leonardo is also looking to structure collaborations with academic institutions.

The ambition to create value through the implementation of sustainability principles is at the core of Be Tomorrow-Leonardo 2030; the Company’s long-term plan aimed at developing new business opportunities and working towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) by leveraging on technological innovation and core competencies.

Note for editors
Irving Shipbuilding Inc. has engaged Lockheed Martin Canada to lead the design team of the Canadian Surface Combatant, a powerhouse consortium of companies that includes MDA, CAE, L3 Harris, Ultra, BAE Systems and many other suppliers that will design the ship and integrate the CSC’s combat management system in Canada. The whole programme, which aims to build combat ships capably to support and protect the Royal Canadian Navy’s crew in a wide range of missions around the world, from humanitarian assistance to high-intensity conflicts, is already delivering significant economic benefits to Canada. It will bring advancements in Canadian technology and manufacturing all along the Canadian supply chain, small and medium enterprises, investments in research and development and increased global export opportunities.

 

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22 APRIL 2021

Leonardo to supply 127/64 LW gun systems for CSC frigate programme​

by Richard Scott



Leonardo has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Canada to supply its OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre naval gun for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) next-generation surface combatant.

Leonardo's 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre gun system has been selected for Canada’s next-generation surface combatants. (Leonardo)

Leonardo's 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre gun system has been selected for Canada’s next-generation surface combatants. (Leonardo)
The company’s initial contract covers the supply of four gun systems for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme. Leonardo was selected ahead of BAE Systems, which was offering the rival MK 45 Mod 4 gun.

The 15-ship CSC programme will recapitalise the RCN’s surface fleet by replacing the modernised Halifax-class multirole frigates and now-retired Iroquois class destroyers with a single class of globally deployable, multirole warship. All 15 CSC ships are to be built by prime contractor Irving Shipbuilding at its yard in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Lockheed Martin Canada Rotary and Mission Systems – bidding a BAE Systems’ Global Combat Ship (GCS) design derived from the UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate – was selected as CSC ship design and combat system partner in October 2018.

According to Leonardo, the contract with Lockheed Martin Canada covers systems for the first three ships of the class, with the fourth to be used as a training/reference set. A contract option additionally provides for an automatic ammunition handling system to be brought into the scope of supply.

The 127/64 LW Vulcano gun will confer the CSC ships with the ability to fire extended-range, precision-guided Vulcano munitions – both in guided long-range and the ballistic extended-range versions – and conventional ammunition.

--------------------------------------

@Nilgiri , it seems that the earlier model with MK.45 mod 4 are outdated by now.

24-type26bae.JPG
 

Madokafc

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22 APRIL 2021

Leonardo to supply 127/64 LW gun systems for CSC frigate programme​

by Richard Scott



Leonardo has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Canada to supply its OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre naval gun for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) next-generation surface combatant.

Leonardo's 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre gun system has been selected for Canada’s next-generation surface combatants. (Leonardo)'s 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre gun system has been selected for Canada’s next-generation surface combatants. (Leonardo)

Leonardo's 127/64 LW Vulcano medium-calibre gun system has been selected for Canada’s next-generation surface combatants. (Leonardo)
The company’s initial contract covers the supply of four gun systems for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme. Leonardo was selected ahead of BAE Systems, which was offering the rival MK 45 Mod 4 gun.

The 15-ship CSC programme will recapitalise the RCN’s surface fleet by replacing the modernised Halifax-class multirole frigates and now-retired Iroquois class destroyers with a single class of globally deployable, multirole warship. All 15 CSC ships are to be built by prime contractor Irving Shipbuilding at its yard in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Lockheed Martin Canada Rotary and Mission Systems – bidding a BAE Systems’ Global Combat Ship (GCS) design derived from the UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate – was selected as CSC ship design and combat system partner in October 2018.

According to Leonardo, the contract with Lockheed Martin Canada covers systems for the first three ships of the class, with the fourth to be used as a training/reference set. A contract option additionally provides for an automatic ammunition handling system to be brought into the scope of supply.

The 127/64 LW Vulcano gun will confer the CSC ships with the ability to fire extended-range, precision-guided Vulcano munitions – both in guided long-range and the ballistic extended-range versions – and conventional ammunition.

--------------------------------------

@Nilgiri , it seems that the earlier model with MK.45 mod 4 are outdated by now.

24-type26bae.JPG

Leonardo had price advantage compared to BAE System product
 

Gary

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Government to commit to building first three warships despite budget concerns​

The first tranche of the controversial Canadian Surface Combatant project would see three vessels constructed at Irving Shipbuilding on the East Coast.

Author of the article:
David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date:
Jun 08, 2021 • 1 day ago • 3 minute read
The Irving Shipbuilding facility is seen in Halifax on June 14, 2018.



The Irving Shipbuilding facility is seen in Halifax on June 14, 2018. PHOTO BY ANDREW VAUGHAN /The Canadian Press

The Canadian government is preparing to commit to initially building three new warships despite concerns the project has gone billions of dollars over budget.

The first tranche of the controversial Canadian Surface Combatant project would see three vessels constructed at Irving Shipbuilding on the East Coast.

Government to commit to building first three warships despite budget concerns​

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Department of National Defence spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said a construction contract was expected to be awarded likely in 2023. “As we get closer to that contract award, and discussions continue with the shipyard and other industry stakeholders, we will have more certainty on how many ships will be included in the initial build contract,” she said. “While we expect that contract will include around three ships, that remains to be confirmed.”

But industry officials say the Canadian government has already confirmed three vessels will be built initially with its decision last month to spend $2.2 billion on the purchase of radars and related equipment for the surface combatants.

In May, the U.S. government announced that Canada had requested four radars and four combat systems for the surface combatant project. Three radars and three combat systems would be for the installation on the first three ships. The fourth radar and combat system would be used by Canada at a test facility to be built in Dartmouth, N.S.

A request for bids to build that test facility was released Tuesday by the Canadian government. The test facility is expected to cost taxpayers around $64 million.

The Liberal government has said it is committed to eventually building 15 surface combatants, but industry officials have been awaiting for word on how many vessels will be initially constructed. Some defence analysts have suggested that, if problems continue with the project, the government could cut its losses at three ships and then determine how to proceed after those were built.
The Canadian Surface Combatant project has already faced delays and significant increases as the price tag has climbed from an original $14-billion estimate to $26 billion and then to $70 billion in 2019.

Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux produced a report Feb. 24 outlining how the cost of the Canadian Surface Combatant or CSC project was now estimated to be $77 billion.

Giroux told MPs that part of the risk with the project came from the decision to select the Type 26 frigate, which at the time existed only on the drawing board. Construction began on the first Type 26 in the summer of 2017 for Britain’s Royal Navy, but the ship is still not complete. “There doesn’t seem to be a clear rationale when it comes to explaining these cost increases,” Giroux noted during his appearance at the Commons government operations committee. “I’m concerned.”

The CSC is the most expensive purchase in Canadian history.

The Department of National Defence, however, has rejected the PBO’s numbers. It states the overall CSC project cost will be between $56 billion and $60 billion.

Earlier this year, the DND boasted to parliament that military equipment procurement is not only well managed, but also that all programs are within budget and on schedule.

But Conservative MP Kelly McCauley said that claim shows the DND is “detached from reality” when it comes to procurement.

In addition, on Feb. 1 the DND admitted the delivery of the first surface combatant ship would be delayed until 2030 or 2031. The first ship was to have been delivered in 2025, according to previous DND documents.
The entry of the Type 26 warship in the Canadian competition was controversial from the start and sparked complaints the procurement process was skewed to favour that vessel. Previously, the Liberal government had said only mature existing designs or designs of ships already in service with other navies would be accepted on the grounds they could be built faster and would be less risky. Unproven designs can face challenges as problems are found once the vessel is in the water and operating. The criteria was later changed by the Canadian government for reasons that are not entirely clear.

The other ships that were in the Canadian competition were all proven and in service with allied navies.

 

DAVEBLOGGINS

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do we have the final spec of this ships already??

I heard the baseline model will be a beast with
-AN/SPY-7
-CMS-330
-24xVLS for surface strike (900km LRASM or 1500km Tomahawk)
-48 cell for Sea Ceptor
-1x127mm
-2xPhalanx
-2x30mm autocannon
-3x324mm torpedo

very interesting, will be one of the most heavily armed surface combatant in the next 20 years, can't wait to see these fine boats in service on their respective navies.
Hello AlphaMike. Here is an updated list of what the CSC Frigate weapons and systems will/might have. If any member has new or different information, fell free to comment:

. 1 X LM Solid State 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) "S" Band Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR)-SPY 7 (V) 1 Phased Array Air Search Radar-Confirmed by Lockheed Martin (LM). (See 1)
2. 1 X Solid State AESA "X" Band Illumination Radar supported by MacDonald Dettwiller Associates (MDA) in Richmond British Columbia-below the SPY 7 radar mast, with integration into the CMS 330 system-This may be an MDA built radar or In My Opinion (IMO), it may be an existing radar from Thales (possibly the Sea Fire 500 AESA Phased Array Radar) however MDA is not talking. Any enlightenment on this radar from any forum members, would be appreciated. (See 2)
3. "X" & "S" Bands Navigation Radars (See 2)
4. MDA-Electronic Warfare Suite System & Chaff launchers (See 2)
5. MDA-Laser Warfare Defence System (again MDA is not talking). (See 2)
6. 32 x MK 41 strike length VLS-ESSM2, SM II/IIIC-SM3/6 (fitted for, but not with); Raytheon Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM). (See 2)
7. Combat Information Management Systems-Links 11/16/22/GCCS-M/ Mode 5S Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) (See 2)
8. Light Weight (LW) MK 54 Torpedo system with twin launcher tubes (See 2)
9. Sea Spider anti-torpedo system (Magellan/TKMS) (See 2)
10. 6 x 4 ExLS VLS-Aft of the funnel (Sea Ceptor, quad-packed) for CIADS-MBDA (See 2)
11. 2 x 4 Quad packs Kongsberg NSM-Port/Stbd Above Mission Bay. (See 2)
12. Main Gun: 1 x 5 inch Leonardo Oto Melara 127mm Light Weight (LW) Land Attack and Anti-Air Vulcano gun. This gun will confer the CSC ships with the ability to fire extended-range, precision-guided Vulcano munitions- both in guided long-range and the ballistic extended-range versions – and conventional AA ammunition. (See 4)
13. Secondary Guns: 2 x 30mm OTO Marlen WS from Leonardo Stabilized Rapid Fire 30mm Naval Gun System -(Port/Stbd of Flight Deck) (See 2)
14. Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Sensor Netting-Integrated Cyber Defence System; Integrated Bridge & Navigation System from OSI (See 2)
15. Internal/External Communications Suite-HF/UHF/SHF/VHF/SATCOM from L3 Harris. (See 2)
16. Electro Optical & Infrared Systems; Radio/Radar Electronic Support Measures (ESM) to include: Frequency Identification; Laser Warning & Countermeasures System; Radar/Radio Frequency Electronic Jammers; Electronic Decoy Systems. (See 2)
17 CMS: Lockheed Martin CMS 330/Aegis Combat System (ACS) in support of Co-operative Engagement Capability (CEC). (See 2)
18. Ultra Electronics Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS)-Ultra S2150. (See 5)
19. Ultra Electronics Active/Passive Towed Array Sonar (Sea Sabre-Low Frequency Active/Passive). (See 5)
20.Towed Torpedo Countermeasures (AN/SLQ-25 Nixie)-Sea Sentor S21700. (See 5)
21. Sonobouy Processing System from General Dynamics with expendable Acoustic Countermeasures. (See 2)
22. Combined Diesel Electric Gas Turbine (CODLOG) Propulsion System to include 1 X Rolls Royce RR/MT 30 Gas Turbine; 2 X Electronic Motors from General Electric; 4 X RR MTU Diesel Generators; Integrated Platform Management System from L3 Harris. (See 2)
23. CH 148 Cyclone Sikorsky (S-92) ASW Helicopter; SKELDAR V200 UAV systems from Saab-known as CU-176 "Gargoyle" (See 2/3)
24. Speed-approximately 27+kts. Statement Of Requirement (SOR) required this capability for US Carrier Battle Group (CBG) Ops. (See 2)
25. Crew Compliment-204 max crew (fitted with separate female quarters). (See 2)
26. Zodiac Hurricane Multi-Roll RHIBs. (See 6)

Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Capability will not be part of the CSC Type 26 Frigate at this time and will not be discussed, however, it could easily be incorporated if decided by the Canadian government in the future.

1. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...n-signs-spy-7-radar-contract-for-csc-frigate/

2. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...ian-navy-unveils-new-details-on-csc-frigates/

3. https://www.unmannedsystemstechnolo...an-armed-forces-select-ums-skeldar-v-200-uas/

4. https://www.navalreview.ca/2021/04/csc-canada-buys-oto-melara-leonardo-127mm-64-lw-gun/

5. https://www.ultra.group/media-centr...-subcontract-to-provide-variable-depth-sonar/

6. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...y-contract-award-for-30-new-multi-role-rhibs/
 
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