Canada Starts Process to Acquire Up to 12 New Submarines

Ottawa has begun the official process to procure as many as 12 new submarines as part of its bid to ramp up defence capabilities in the Arctic while increasing its NATO defence spending.
“The procurement of up to 12 conventionally-powered, under-ice capable submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy will enhance Canada’s ability to detect and deter maritime threats, control our maritime approaches, and project power and striking capabilities further from our shores,” Defence Minister Bill Blair said in the release.
“We look forward to working with industry partners to implement this crucial project, in support of the priorities outlined in Our North, Strong and Free.”
National Defence expects to award a contract by 2028, with the first replacement submarine to be delivered no later than 2035, the government said. Canada’s current fleet of four submarines, which was purchased second-hand from the British in the 1990s, is expected to remain operational into the mid-to late 2030s.
Although the RFI does not specify a budget, the process will help National Defence to determine how many submarines the country can financially support and what resources would be necessary for fleet maintenance, the government said.
Consultations are also continuing “with officials from allied and partner countries, and companies and navies in Europe and Asia that currently have or are in the process of building submarines that may meet Canada’s requirements,” the government said.
The submarine procurement, which is part of the Liberal government’s defence policy plan, would “inevitably” help towards meeting NATO’s military spending target of 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), Blair said at the NATO summit in July. Canada currently spends just shy of 1.4 percent of its GDP on the military.
Canada is currently an observer in the second phase of AUKUS, but not a participant. The partnership was formed to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“I think it’s really important that allies, particularly across the Indo-Pacific, work together in stronger and tighter ways and those Canadian conversations with our partners will continue.”
Neither the RFI nor the government press release indicated whether Canada will be seeking subs with nuclear capability.
Key requirements include “stealth, lethality, persistence and Arctic deployability – meaning that the submarine must have extended range and endurance,” the government said.
“Canada’s new fleet will need to provide a unique combination of these requirements to ensure that Canada can detect, track, deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries in all three of Canada’s oceans while contributing meaningfully alongside allies and enabling the Government of Canada to deploy this fleet abroad in support of our partners and allies.”