Image Credit: Hanwha

Prime Minister Mark Carney, visited Hanwha Ocean Shipyard in Geoje, South Korea to tour Hanwha’s KSS-III Canadian Patrol Submarine (KSS-III CPS), along with Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, and Defence Minister David McGuinty.

Hanwha Ocean and German company Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) are the 2 qualified suppliers competing for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) to replace the navy’s aging Victoria-class fleet.

READ MORE: TKMS and Hanwha Ocean selected as the 2 qualified suppliers for CPSP

The CPSP was established in 2021 to inform timely governmental decision-making about a potential replacement class of submarines and avoid any gap in Canadian submarine capabilities. The intention of the project is to acquire up to 12 submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.

“It was a great pleasure to host Prime Minister Carney, Minister McGuinty and Vice-Admiral Topshee at our shipyard today and show them the proven, in-service and in-production KSS-III submarine that we feel is the best submarine for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. Supplying the KSS-III to Canada would represent one of the greatest achievements of Korea’s defense industry. It will not only pioneer a new path for K-Defense but also serve as a turning point in building a long-term defence partnership between Korea and Canada. Hanwha Group will mobilize all its capabilities to ensure this success.”

Kim Dong-Kwan, Vice Chairman, Hanwha Group

Recently, Carney met with the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung. The leaders announced the new Canada-Republic of Korea Security and Defence Cooperation Partnership. This agreement will reinforce collaboration in defence, military readiness, and industrial collaboration focused on the defence, maritime security, and aerospace sectors.

READ: PM Carney meets with President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung

Hanwha’s KSS-III Canadian Patrol Submarine (KSS-III CPS) is proven, in-service, in active production, and meets all the operational and urgent delivery requirements for CPSP, including superior underwater surveillance capability and deployability in the Arctic with extended range and endurance that will provide stealth, persistence and lethality to ensure that Canada can detect, track, deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries in all 3 of its oceans.

Hanwha can deliver four KSS-III CPS to fully replace Canada’s current Victoria Class fleet before 2035 if on contract in 2026. Earlier retirement of the Victoria Class fleet will result in estimated savings of approximately $1 Billion on maintenance and support costs. The additional 8 submarines will be delivered at a rate of one per year, meaning the entire fleet of 12 submarines can be delivered to Canada by 2043. No other option can come anywhere close to this delivery schedule.

Hanwha’s Canadian partners: Babcock Canada, CAE, Gastops, L3Harris Canada, ModestTree and PCL Construction, were also in attendance.

Modest Tree’s VAdm (Ret’d) Craig Baines was on-site at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard, meeting with the Hanwha Ocean team and having the opportunity to meet Carney during his visit to the facility as part of discussions on Canada’s future submarine capabilities. Modest Tree is proud to be a collaboration partner with Hanwha Ocean, supporting the CPSP through their immersive training and digital in-service support solutions, as outlined in an existing Memorandum of Understanding.

Carney tours Hanwha Ocean shipyards in South Korea:

ADDITIONAL INFO

• The Royal Canadian Navy’s current submarine fleet will remain operational into the mid-to-late 2030s. To ensure a smooth transition between classes without a capability gap, the Royal Canadian Navy requires its first new submarine to be delivered by the mid-2030s. 
• Submarines are a key element of a balanced fleet that enables the Royal Canadian Navy to project power responsively and effectively far from Canada’s shores, with the inherent flexibility and staying power required to succeed across a broad mission set.
• READ: CAE and Saab sign MoU for Canadian Patrol Submarine Project
• About KSS-III Canadian Patrol Submarine
• READ: KSS-III Cleared for Launch: Hanwha Ocean – Cover Story
  • The KSS-III Canadian Patrol Submarine (KSS-III CPS) is South Korea’s latest evolution in conventional submarine technology—indigenously designed and constructed through decades of spiral development of a modern, conventional, ocean-going submarine. Over the last four decades, Hanwha Ocean has continued to evolve a proven MOTS submarine design culminating with the latest batch of the KSS submarine fleet.
  • Equipped with Lithium-ion batteries and an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, the KSS-III CPS offers the longest submerged endurance among conventional submarines in service. The platform is fully optimized for Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Minelaying, and Special Operations Forces (SOF) support.
  • KSS-III is not an export-only model—it is the same class of submarine actively operated by the Republic of Korea Navy in real-world conditions. This ensures Canada will benefit from a proven platform, backed by an established supply chain and validated operational and maintenance data throughout the 30+ years of in-service support (ISS).
  • The KSS-III is the backbone of the ROK Navy submarine force. Acquisition of the KSS-III would allow Canada to be a member of the international KSS-III User Group which consists of a growing number of nations.