Canada picks Germany’s TKMS for historic submarine buy, in nod to Europe

VICTORIA, British Columbia – A German shipbuilder has won the competition for the largest defense procurement in Canadian history, beating out a South Korean firm on the project to build 12 new submarines.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced July 6 that TKMS has been selected as the winning bidder in the country’s project to acquire the new boats. The company offered Canada its Type 212CD submarine which is being built for both Germany and Norway.

Carney did not provide a dollar figure on the submarine project but noted the deal is expected to be the largest defense procurement in the country’s history. It is estimated that the entire project could cost as much as $70 billion ($100 billion Canadian) when long-term maintenance, new infrastructure, weapons and other factors are considered over the life of the boats.

Negotiations with TKMS will begin shortly with a contract expected to be in place by the end of the year.

TKMS beat out a bid from Hanwha Ocean, which was offering its KSS-III submarine.

“This was a difficult, close decision between two highly qualified suppliers,” Carney said in making the announcement in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “Both the TKMS and the Hanwha platforms met the very high capabilities of the Royal Canadian Navy, and both of them put forward strong proposals to maximize benefits for Canadian workers and businesses.”

“These subs will strengthen our defense industrial base, they will deepen our partnerships with trusted allies, and they will open new opportunities for Canadian businesses in European supply chains,” he added.

TKMS makes the HDW-class Type 212 CD submarine. (ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems)

The new submarines will replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s aging Victoria-class submarines. Government officials said the first submarine is expected in 2033 with three more hopefully being delivered in 2034.

“In the end, this decision was about choosing the absolute best platform and partnership to meet Canada’s combined strategic, security and economic interests,” Carney said.

Carney made the announcement the day before the NATO Summit is set to begin in Turkey. “These subs will strengthen our defense industrial base, they will deepen our partnerships with trusted allies, and they will open new opportunities for Canadian businesses in European supply chains,” Carney said.

Oliver Burkhard, CEO of TKMS, said in a statement that the company is ready to provide Canada with significant economic benefits. “We stand ready to work alongside the government of Canada, Canadian industry and our partners in Germany and Norway to deliver a world-class submarine capability that will strengthen security, create economic opportunity and generate lasting benefits for future generations,” Burkhard said.

Glenn Copeland, CEO of Hanwha Canada, said the company was disappointed with its loss but he noted that the competition showed Canada what South Korea can offer. “The team at Hanwha have demonstrated to the Canadian public and government that there is unlimited potential to unlock within the South Korean defense industrial base and that Hanwha and its business divisions will continue to grow aside from today’s decision,” Copeland said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to demonstrate why Hanwha is the backbone of the world’s fourth-largest defense export nation.”

Hanwha mounted a significant economic and public relations push to convince Canada about the value of its boats. That included the Republic of Korea Navy sending one of its KSS-III submarines to Victoria, British Columbia, in May to show the long-range capabilities of the boat as well as to conduct joint operations with the Royal Canadian Navy.

The South Koreans were also promoting the procurement as a way for Canada to expand its relations in the Asia-Pacific region. Carney said that the loss for Hanwha does not signal a change in Canada’s commitment to the area. “We’re very committed to the Indo-Pacific strategy,” he said. “There are a series of other initiatives Canada and Korea are pursuing that build our economic resilience and security footprint.”

Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defense procurement, said at a news conference in Victoria on July 6 that the submarine competition was completed in record time. The whole process took less than a year.

Fuhr said one of the main criticisms of Canada’s defense procurement process is that it is too lengthy. But he noted he intends to change that and speed up other future defense procurements.

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

David Pugliese is the Canada correspondent for Defense News.

加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省维多利亚市——一家德国造船企业赢得了加拿大历史上规模最大的国防采购项目竞标，击败了一家韩国公司，赢得了建造12艘新潜艇的项目。

加拿大总理马克·卡尼于7月6日宣布，TKMS公司中标加拿大新潜艇采购项目。该公司向加拿大提供的是其正在为德国和挪威建造的212CD型潜艇。

卡尼没有透露潜艇项目的具体金额，但他指出，这笔交易预计将成为加拿大历史上规模最大的国防采购项目。据估计，考虑到潜艇在其使用寿命期间的长期维护、新建基础设施、武器装备和其他因素，整个项目的总成本可能高达700亿美元（1000亿加元）。

与TKMS的谈判即将开始，预计年底前将签订合同。

TKMS击败了韩华海洋的竞标，韩华海洋当时提供的是KSS-III型潜艇。

卡尼在加拿大新斯科舍省哈利法克斯宣布这一消息时表示：“这是一个艰难而艰难的决定，需要在两家资质都非常优秀的供应商之间做出选择。TKMS和韩华的平台都满足了加拿大皇家海军极高的性能要求，而且两家公司都提出了强有力的方案，以最大限度地造福加拿大工人和企业。”

“这些潜艇将加强我们的国防工业基础，深化我们与值得信赖的盟友的伙伴关系，并为加拿大企业在欧洲供应链中开辟新的机遇，”他补充道。

TKMS公司生产HDW级212CD型潜艇。（蒂森克虏伯海洋系统公司）

这些新型潜艇将取代加拿大皇家海军老旧的维多利亚级潜艇。政府官员表示，首艘潜艇预计将于2033年交付，另有三艘有望于2034年交付。

卡尼表示：“最终，这项决定是为了选择最合适的平台和合作伙伴，以满足加拿大在战略、安全和经济方面的综合利益。”

卡尼在北约峰会于土耳其召开前一天宣布了这一消息。卡尼表示：“这些潜艇将加强我们的国防工业基础，深化我们与可​​靠盟友的伙伴关系，并为加拿大企业在欧洲供应链中开辟新的机遇。”

TKMS首席执行官奥利弗·布克哈德在一份声明中表示，该公司已准备好为加拿大带来显著的经济效益。“我们随时准备与加拿大政府、加拿大工业界以及我们在德国和挪威的合作伙伴携手合作，打造世界一流的潜艇能力，这将加强安全，创造经济机遇，并为子孙后代带来持久的福祉。”布克哈德说道。

韩华加拿大公司首席执行官格伦·科普兰表示，公司对此次竞标失败感到失望，但他指出，此次竞标让加拿大看到了韩国的实力。“韩华团队已经向加拿大公众和政府证明，韩国国防工业基础蕴藏着无限的潜力，而且无论今天的决定如何，韩华及其各业务部门都将继续发展壮大，”科普兰在一份声明中表示。“我们期待继续证明，韩华是世界第四大国防出口国韩国的支柱。”

韩华公司投入大量资金和公共关系资源，力图让加拿大相信其潜艇的价值。其中包括韩国海军于5月派遣一艘KSS-III型潜艇前往加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省维多利亚市，展示该型潜艇的远程作战能力，并与加拿大皇家海军进行联合行动。

韩国方面也积极推动此次采购，认为这是加拿大拓展亚太地区关系的一种途径。卡尼表示，韩华的竞标失败并不意味着加拿大对该地区的承诺有所改变。“我们始终致力于印太战略，”他说，“加拿大和韩国正在推进一系列其他举措，以增强我们的经济韧性和安全影响力。”

国防采购国务大臣斯蒂芬·富尔7月6日在维多利亚举行的新闻发布会上表示，潜艇竞标以创纪录的速度完成。整个过程耗时不到一年。

福尔表示，加拿大国防采购流程的主要批评之一是耗时过长。但他指出，他打算改变这一现状，加快未来其他国防采购流程。

加拿大政府指出，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。

David Pugliese 是《国防新闻》的加拿大通讯员。