Canada kicks off submarine tender after survey of global vendors

The Canadian military has formally begun its efforts to acquire a fleet of up to 12 conventionally powered submarines.

The Canadian government has requested submarine builders submit information on their boats by Nov. 18 in what is seen as a first step in the eventual purchase.

Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair issued a statement Sept. 16 noting that submarines are crucial to maintaining the country’s sovereignty. “As an Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific nation with the world’s longest coastline, Canada needs a new fleet of submarines,” Blair said.

The current fleet of Victoria-class submarines operated by the Royal Canadian Navy will be decommissioned in the mid-2030s, he added.

“To avoid any gap in Canadian submarine capabilities, Canada anticipates a contract award by 2028 with the delivery of the first replacement submarine no later than 2035,” Blair noted in his message.

In a statement also released Sept. 16 on X, Blair said the purchase would involve acquiring up to 12 conventionally-powered, under-ice capable submarines. No cost figures were released at this time.

Canada is open to submarines that are currently in service or in production.

The submarines would be capable of conducting “precision attacks” and would equipped with heavyweight torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and long-range precision land attack missiles, according to the initial information provided to industry.

Blair said the request for information will also open the door for Canadian industry on in-service support, training and infrastructure for the new fleet. Canada does not build its own submarines so any boats will be constructed in another nation.

Blair originally highlighted Canada’s interest in new submarines on July 10 at the NATO summit in Washington but did not provide specific details at that time. Canadian government officials, however, have suggested that the submarine purchase could help Canada meet its goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense as required by NATO. Canada has been under increasing pressure from its allies to do more on defense.

To prepare for the acquisition the Royal Canadian Navy had already created the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), which was gathering information, and conducting an analysis of potential submarines capable of meeting the service’s requirements.

In 2023 the CPSP project team conducted initial engagements and fact finding with countries, companies, and navies that currently have or are in the process of building submarines that meet Canada’s needs. The team has engaged with France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden.

The request for information will allow Canada to receive specific information it needs to put together a bid package and supporting documents for the future purchase.

The four Victoria-class boats, originally known as the Upholder-class, were purchased second-hand from the U.K. Royal Navy. The first three Victoria-class submarines were accepted into Royal Canadian Navy service between 2000 and 2003. The fourth submarine suffered a fire in transit to Canada in 2004, which delayed its acceptance into RCN service until 2015.

The submarines are currently undergoing various improvements and upgrades to keep them operating until the mid to late 2030s.

David Pugliese is the Canada correspondent for Defense News.

加拿大军方已正式启动采购至多 12 艘常规动力潜艇的计划。

加拿大政府已要求潜艇制造商在 11 月 18 日前提交有关其潜艇的信息，这被视为最终购买的第一步。

加拿大国防部长比尔·布莱尔9月16日发表声明指出，潜艇对于维护国家主权至关重要。布莱尔表示：“作为一个横跨北极、大西洋和太平洋，拥有世界最长海岸线的国家，加拿大需要一支新的潜艇舰队。”

他补充说，加拿大皇家海军目前运营的维多利亚级潜艇舰队将于 2​​030 年代中期退役。

布莱尔在贺词中指出：“为避免加拿大潜艇能力出现任何缺口，加拿大预计将在 2028 年之前获得合同，并最迟在 2035 年交付第一艘替代潜艇。”

布莱尔在9月16日通过X网站发布的一份声明中表示，此次采购将涉及购置至多12艘具备冰下作业能力的常规动力潜艇。目前尚未公布具体成本。

加拿大对目前正在服役或正在生产的潜艇持开放态度。

根据提供给业界的初步信息，这些潜艇将能够进行“精确攻击”，并将配备重型鱼雷、反舰导弹和远程精确对陆攻击导弹。

布莱尔表示，此次信息征询也将为加拿大工业界在新舰队的在役支持、培训和基础设施建设方面打开大门。加拿大不建造自己的潜艇，因此所有潜艇都将在其他国家建造。

布莱尔最初于7月10日在华盛顿举行的北约峰会上强调了加拿大对新型潜艇的兴趣，但当时并未提供具体细节。然而，加拿大政府官员表示，购买潜艇可能有助于加拿大实现北约要求的国防开支至少占GDP 2%的目标。加拿大一直面临着来自盟国的越来越大的压力，要求其加大国防投入。

为了准备采购，加拿大皇家海军已经成立了加拿大巡逻潜艇项目（CPSP），该项目旨在收集信息，并对能够满足海军需求的潜在潜艇进行分析。

2023年，加拿大海军潜艇项目组（CPSP）与目前拥有或正在建造符合加拿大需求的潜艇的国家、公司和海军进行了初步接洽和情况调查。该项目组已与法国、德国、日本、韩国、西班牙和瑞典进行了接洽。

此次信息征询将使加拿大能够获得编制投标方案和未来采购所需支持文件的具体信息。

这四艘维多利亚级潜艇，最初被称为“捍卫者”级，是从英国皇家海军购买的二手艇。前三艘维多利亚级潜艇于2000年至2003年间加入加拿大皇家海军服役。第四艘潜艇在2004年运往加拿大的途中发生火灾，导致其服役时间推迟至2015年。

目前，这些潜艇正在进行各种改进和升级，以确保它们能够服役到 2030 年代中后期。

David Pugliese 是《国防新闻》的加拿大通讯员。