Canadian Patrol Submarine Project
The Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) four Victoria-class submarines are showing their age, although they are expected to remain in service well into the 2030s. Mindful that the Canadian procurement process is typically a long and arduous process, the Department of National Defence (DND) has created the CPSP – Canadian Patrol Submarine Project to look into replacements for the existing sub fleet.
At Canadian Forces Base Halifax, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced that Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has been selected as the preferred supplier to begin negotiations for delivering Canada’s next fleet of submarines to the RCN. This will be the largest defence procurement in Canadian history, and it will equip the RCN with the capabilities they need to keep Canadians safe.
Germany’s TKMS has positioned its Type 212CD submarine as a comprehensive and low-risk solution tailored to Canada’s operational and strategic needs.
READ: Canada chooses TKMS as preferred bidder for CPSP submarine fleet
RCN is readying itself for the purchase of up to 12 new submarines at a cost of $60 billion, according to National Defence and industry sources. The program is aimed to recapitalize the RCN’s fleet and strengthen Canada’s long-term maritime sovereignty across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic.
To avoid any gaps in Canadian submarine capabilities, Canada anticipates a contract award by 2028, with the delivery of the first replacement submarine no later than 2035. These efforts are part of Canada’s plan to increase its defence spending ratio in relation to gross domestic product.
The CPSP is widely regarded as one of Canada’s most significant and complex defense procurement programs, strongly emphasizing industrial participation, sovereign sustainment, and long-term workforce development.
READ: Canada identifies TKMS and Hanwha Ocean as the 2 qualified suppliers for CPSP
READ TKMS SPECIAL ISSUE
Canada’s key submarine capability requirements will be stealth, lethality, persistence and Arctic deployability – meaning that the submarine must have extended range and endurance.
When it comes to buying new subs under the CPSP, the RCN needs “at least eight” and possibly 12, said VAdm Topshee, , during an interview with CDR in 2023. “If you want to have a single line of tasking with a submarine in the Pacific, you need four boats based in Victoria,” he explained. “You want to guarantee the availability of a submarine to do anything you need it to do in the Atlantic, so you need four boats based in Halifax. [Then] if you also want to be able to do the Arctic, you better find a place to put [another] four boats between those two places.”
2026
- TKMS selected as the Preferred Supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project
- TKMS and Cohere to Integrate AI technologies in CPSP
- Hanwha Ocean signs MOU with PCL Construction for CPSP
- Hanwha Ocean and Babcock Canada Join Forces for CPSP
2025
- Hanwha Ocean and Babcock Canada Sign Teaming Agreement for CPSP
- PM Carney Visits Hanwha Ocean for CPSP Program
- Canada identifies TKMS and Hanwha Ocean as the 2 qualified suppliers for CPSP
ADDITIONAL INFO
- COVER STORY: thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Submarines
- KSS-III Cleared for Launch: Hanwha Ocean – Cover Story
- Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee – Feature Interview 2025 – Timelines for the CPSP
- Hanwha Ocean – Submarine for Canada’s Undersea Requirements
- TKMS – Producing Advanced Submarines for NATO
- RCN Commander Topshee visits submarine builders for CPSP
