RCN

The first two Naval Large Tugs, Haro and Barkerville, have arrived at CFB Esquimalt yesterday, July 25.

The tugs will be unloaded tomorrow and sent to Point Hope Shipyard where they will be brought up to operational state; this includes fueling and unbarring windows, among other preparations. Familiarization training for the POESB staff will commence on August 19 and will last two weeks.

These powerful new vessels are part of a fleet of four being built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

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In a notable development under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), Irving Shipbuilding Inc. has entrusted L3Harris with two pivotal contracts. These contracts involve the supply and installation of the Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) and the Control & Instrumentation system for the new Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) vessels, which will be constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy.

The NSS, a vital initiative, aims to bolster regional economies while advancing Canada’s naval capabilities. Irving Shipbuilding’s ambitious project involves the construction of 15 CSC ships, set to replace the aging Halifax-class frigates. This project, the largest and most intricate shipbuilding endeavor in Canadian history, will see the commencement of the Production Test Module construction this summer.

L3Harris is tasked with designing and delivering the IPMS, a sophisticated system essential for managing the propulsion, power generation, and auxiliary functions of the ships. This system is expected to significantly enhance the performance, reliability, and safety of the CSC vessels, thereby boosting the overall efficiency of Canada’s defence industry.

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Vard Marine Inc. (VARD), a Fincantieri company, is proud to launch the Vigilance Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) at CANSEC 2023 in conjunction with Team Vigilance partner companies Heddle Shipyards, Thales Canada, SH Defense, and Fincantieri S.p.A.

Collectively, Team Vigilance partner companies bring vast and impressive capabilities and experience to bear in naval ship design, Canadian and global shipbuilding, the integration of combat and offboard systems, modular payload systems, and life-cycle solutions. This collaboration ensures Team Vigilance is able to meet the needs of any naval operator in this space and beyond...

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The federal government is committed to ensuring members of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) have the equipment they need to complete their missions and assert Canada’s sovereignty.

Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced that the federal government has awarded a contract valued at up to $1.85 billion (including taxes) to Lockheed Martin Canada (LMC) for the renewal of combat system integration in-service support (CSI ISS) for the Halifax-class frigates.

The renewal of this contract will ensure continued CSI service support until the end-of-life expectancy is reached for the Halifax-class frigates, coinciding with the gradual arrival of the new fleet of River-class destroyer ships. This contract is estimated to contribute $76 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product and to support up to 680 good-paying jobs annually across the Canadian economy.

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Members of the Five Eyes (FVEY) security partnership, Canada, the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (U.K.), Australia, and New Zealand (N.Z.), work together to support each other’s national and international security interests. Recent changes to the maritime security environment caused by technological advances in AI, robotics, sensors, and weaponry, as well as growing great power competition, have prompted the navies of each FVEY state to invest in maritime autonomous systems (MAS).

Autonomous systems are those that operate using artificial intelligence and do not require human crews or physical intervention. Their level of autonomy ranges from fully autonomous to remote-controlled. Autonomous vessels and vehicles can also be optionally-crewed, operating with or without a complement of sailors. The adoption of MAS, including uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and uncrewed undersea vehicles (UUVs), will improve the capabilities of FVEY navies by reducing operator errors, risk to human life, and costs associated with naval operations while speeding up reaction times, complicating enemy targeting, and allowing navies to pivot to more distributed maritime operations.

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The first of four new tugboats built for the Royal Canadian Navy have arrived in British Columbia, two years behind schedule and nearly four years since the first steel was cut for the $102-million project.

The four-vessel fleet will be split between Canada's Pacific and Atlantic fleets, in Esquimalt, B.C., and Halifax, respectively, with the arrival of the two East Coast vessels currently delayed until November 2025 and September 2026.

The contract to build the new naval tugboats was awarded to Quebec's Ocean Industries Inc. in April 2019. The boats are expected to support the navy's newest vessels, including the Arctic and offshore patrol ships and the future River-class destroyers.

The tugboats were initially expected to launch in the fall of 2022, but the navy and Transport Canada required changes to their existing designs, which led to a "longer than expected" design review process, before construction could begin, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told CTV News in an emailed statement.

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Celebrating the start of construction activities for Canada’s new fleet of Canadian Surface Combatants (CSC)! The CSC project will equip our fleet with 15 new, state-of-the-art warships to bolster our capabilities at home, and abroad for decades. Today’s start of construction is on the production test module, where Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc will be able to test, adapt and enhance the build process. This should allow the River-Class Destroyers to be in full rate production in 2025, with the delivery of the HMCS Fraser expected in the early 2030’s.

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• Purpose-built Land-Based Testing Facility to help bring CSC into service
• OSI to deliver IBNS for testing and integration studies
• INBS is a variant of OSI's leading Integrated Navigation & Tactical System

OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) is pleased to announce its recent contract award to develop and directly supply an Integrated Bridge Navigation System (IBNS) to support the Land-Based Testing Facility (LBTF) for the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Project.

The new facility will be used to test the navigation, combat, and communication systems for the CSC.  The purpose-built LBTF will help bring the new RCN’s CSC into service and support them throughout their lifespan. This infrastructure will play a critical role in the testing of the new CSC ships' systems and will ensure the ships are sea-ready once they are delivered.

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The RCN ISTAR UAS project will provide an alternate airborne platform that can be operated from the Halifax-class frigate in order to provide near real-time, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance information. This ability will provide critical over the horizon Situational Awareness and generate an operational advantage for commanders while minimizing the risk to the frigate or Maritime Helicopter in support of simple to multi-threat operations.

Requirements

The RCN requires a shipborne vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) that can launch and recover from a Halifax-class frigate with an embarked maritime helicopter, by day and night, in challenging weather conditions globally. The minimum requirement will be to operate at least 50nm from the ship while fitted with a dynamically responsive, open architecture, maritime ISTAR sensor suite (to include at a minimum EO/IR, maritime radar, AIS, and an IFF Transponder).

Funding Range

$50 million to $99 million

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OSI Contracted for In-Service Support for the RCN AOPS IBNS Ensuring that AOPS INBS is Mission-Ready at all Times

• AJISS, a comprehensive In-Service Support agreement for the AOPS IBNS

• Ensures the operational integrity of the INBS throughout its operational life

• OSI is committed to customer support and building a worldwide customer support infrastructure

February 13, 2024 — Burnaby, BC — OSI is pleased to announce the contract for the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship/Joint Support Ship In-Service Support Integrated Bridge Navigation System (AJISS) through Thales Canada, for the RCN Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship Shipsets 1 & 2, Harry DeWolf Class Ship Harry DeWolf and Margaret Brooke.

AJISS includes program and life cycle material management, logistics support, design and engineering, quality management, training, preventative and corrective maintenance, and spares management for the OSI-supplied Integrated Bridge Navigation System (IBNS). Throughout AOPS's service, this comprehensive package ensures the operational integrity of the navigation system through support and maintenance.

"We work closely with our naval customers to ensure that their OSI integrated navigation and tactical systems are maintained to the highest standards," stated Ken Kirkpatrick, President and CEO. "This goes for the Royal Canadian Navy and our global customers, ensuring that they are mission-ready at all times and equipped with innovative and the most current solutions for the challenges faced by modern navies.

Powered by ECPINS, independently certified against NATO WECDIS STANAG 4564, and the only truly third-party certified naval navigation solution, the system integration includes X- and S-Band Radar, data distribution units, a variety of sensors, and C2 capabilities. AOPS IBNS is an impressive system given the vessel's size, measuring 103 meters in length with a 19-meter beam and a bridge measuring 18m by 8m.

Jim Davison, VP Business Development added, "OSI's AJISS agreement builds on its 20 years of success with In-Service Support to Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) surface and subsurface platforms. With over 100-plus integrated bridge system installations worldwide, it represents OSI's commitment to investing in building a worldwide customer support infrastructure. OSI now has operations in the UK and Taiwan because of its 100-plus IBS installations worldwide.

OSI is a fleetwide provider of ECPINS (WECDIS) on all surface and subsurface platforms and the provider of warship integrated bridge systems to CSC, Resolve-class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment Vessel, the six Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, and the Joint Support Ships.

In the first phase of the AOPS project, each of the six shipsets were built and tested at OSI's production facilities in Burnaby, BC, Canada. Subsequently, the system was delivered to Irving Shipbuilding, the

This Letter of Intent is intended to recognize the shared interest the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust (CNMT) have with respect to His Majexty's Canadian Ship (HMCS Sackville;

This Letter of Intent seeks to articulate and recognize HMCS Sackville's importance to Canada's national character and the RCN; and

Through this Letter of Intent, the RCN and the CNMT ("the Participants") recognize their past and the present relationship through their connection with HMCS Sackville, and the Participants express their willingness to continue that relationship into the future.

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anada has awarded a £15.1m ($19.2m) contract to Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) for the production of a lightweight Torpedo Launcher System (TLS) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) on a major naval vessel programme, to be completed in 2030, with work expected to begin immediately, according to a release from Cohort PLC, SEA’s parent company, on 29 January.

SEA’s TLS is a weapon-agnostic system capable of firing a range of Nato standard lightweight torpedos. With more than 30 years service with the UK Royal Navy, the system has a proven modular and flexible design, capable of firing the US Mk 44, Mk 46 and Mk 54 torpedoes, UK Sting Ray, Italian A244S, French MU 90 and the Korean Blue Shark.

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The longest ship ever built in Canada, at close to 174 metres in length, the future Protecteur-class Joint Support Ships (JSS) will provide core replenishment, limited sealift capabilities and support to operations ashore for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

The two new ships are currently under construction with the first, future His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Protecteur, expected to be delivered to the RCN in 2025. Protecteur will be the lead ship of the class, and the second will be named HMCS Preserver. Protecteur will remain on the West Coast, with Preserver destined for Halifax.

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