Canada to acquire up to 12 under-ice capable submarines

Canada's Victoria class submarines are "increasingly obsolete and expensive to maintain." [Photo: Canadian Ministry of National Defense]

In a statement that was perhaps somewhat overshadowed by the announcement of the ICE Pact, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Bill Blair, last week announced that Canada is taking the first step towards the procurement of up to 12 conventionally-powered, under-ice capable submarines – and that Canada is launching the process to formally engage industry on this acquisition.

“As the country with the longest coastline in the world, Canada needs a new fleet of submarines – and today, we’ve announced that we will move forward with this acquisition,” said Blair. “This new fleet will enable Canada to protect its sovereignty in a changing world, and make valuable, high-end contributions to the security of our partners and NATO Allies. We look forward to delivering this new fleet to the Royal Canadian Navy.”

Through the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), Canada aims to acquire a larger, modernized under-ice capable submarine fleet to enable the Royal Canadian Navy to covertly detect and deter maritime threats, control maritime approaches, project power and striking capability further from our shores, and project a persistent deterrent on all three coasts.

The Department of National Defence says that, as part of the CPSP, it is currently in the process of meeting with manufacturers and potential partners, and that a formal Request for Information (RFI) will be posted in fall 2024 to gain further information on the procurement, construction, delivery and operational capabilities of potential bidders who can build submarines for Canada. This RFI will also seek to gain information which will enable the establishment of a submarine sustainment capability in Canada. This procurement , says the department, will enable Canada to develop closer ties with its allies and partners and establish a strategic partnership that not only delivers the submarines themselves, but creates a durable relationship between Canada and its strategic partner(s) to support personnel training and the sharing of information.

Canada’s key submarine capability requirements will be stealth, lethality, persistence and Arctic deployability – meaning that the submarine must have extended range and endurance. Canada’s new under-ice capable submarine fleet, says the department, ”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.”

Canada’s current four Victoria-class submarines were purchased from the British Government in 1998, and delivered to Canada over a four year period from 2000 to 2004. The first three submarines—Victoria, Windsor and Corner Brook—were commissioned into RCN service shortly after their arrival in Canada. The fourth, Chicoutimi, was delivered to Canada in 2004, but was not commissioned into RCN service until 2015, due to a fire in 2004 and subsequent work required.

The Department of National Defence says that, as outlined in its policy update, Our North, Strong and Free, released in April 2024, “our Arctic is now warming at four times the global average, making a vast and sensitive region more accessible to foreign actors who have growing capabilities and regional military ambitions. By 2050, the Arctic Ocean could become the most efficient shipping route between Europe and East Asia.

“Canada’s Northwest Passage and the broader Arctic region are already more accessible, and competitors are seeking access, transportation routes, natural resources, critical minerals, and energy sources through more frequent and regular presence and activity. They are exploring Arctic waters and the sea floor, probing our infrastructure and collecting intelligence. In the maritime domain, Russian submarines are probing widely across the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans and China is rapidly expanding its underwater fleet.

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

The Government of Canada has committed to modernizing and operating the Victoria-class into the mid-to-late 2030s.