Canada’s selection of Team 212CD for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project marks the beginning of a long-term strategic partnership focused on strengthening Canada’s national security, operational readiness, and naval capability for decades to come.
Built around a proven submarine platform and supported by a government-to-government framework, the partnership is designed to deliver timely capability introduction, enduring industrial cooperation, and sovereign sustainment capabilities in close collaboration with Canadian industry and partners across the country.
Explore the dimensions of the partnership below and discover how Team 212CD delivers across every priority that matters to Canada.
READ: TKMS selected as the Preferred Supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project
CAE: Advancing Canada’s sovereignty through strategic partnership and submarine capability
BY MATT BROMBERG
Canada’s future submarine capability is a generational investment for our country. The Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) will set the course for the fleet that will serve the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) for decades to come. This choice goes far beyond platforms. It’s about strengthening Canada’s sovereignty, building our industrial depth, and ensuring that our sailors have the capability they need to protect our interests at home and with our allies. As someone who began his career serving aboard submarines, this work is deeply personal.
Delivering on these capabilities requires strong, trusted partnerships built on complementary strengths and a shared commitment to Canada. That is why we are proud to be a preferred supplier and strategic partner supporting TKMS’ pursuit of CPSP.
This partnership brings together two organizations with extensive experience supporting allied navies: TKMS’ world‑class submarine design and construction expertise, and CAE’s global leadership in simulation‑based training, mission rehearsal, and digital learning ecosystems. Together, we are focused on delivering a comprehensive, long‑term training and sustainment capability tailored to the RCN’s future submarine fleet.
At CAE, our focus is clear: making sure the RCN has the training, mission‑system support, and long‑term sustainment framework needed to get the most out of this capability from day one. Submarines are among the most sophisticated platforms in defence. Success comes from advanced technology in the hands of skilled crews who understand their systems and respond decisively as situations evolve. Our training ecosystem – advanced simulation, mission-rehearsal, and digital-immersion technologies – is designed to mirror the realities of submarine operators and build their confidence and expertise long before they ever step aboard.
As new platforms enter service and personnel pressures intensify, modern training becomes a force multiplier. It allows sailors to train more often, at higher fidelity, and with greater realism. For CPSP, that means safer introductions of new submarines, faster progression to operational readiness, and more resilient performance throughout the fleet’s lifecycle.
READ: CAE Statement on Canada’s selection of TKMS for the CPSP
But CPSP isn’t just about capability, it’s also about Canada’s industrial footprint. TKMS has committed to sustaining the submarines in Canada and opening opportunities for Canadian companies to participate in component manufacturing and join their global supply chain. Europe’s defence market continues to grow, and this partnership creates pathways for Canadian firms to enter that ecosystem. At CAE, we work with more than 400 Canadian SMEs and see the innovation and talent that exists across the country. CPSP gives those companies room to grow.
The partnership also reinforces Canada’s alignment with key NATO allies. Germany and Norway’s common‑design program for the 212CD creates a shared operational foundation. If Canada joins this community, our sailors, maintainers, and commanders will be part of a network that learns and evolves together. In a rapidly changing security environment, that kind of alignment isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.
At its core, CPSP is an investment in people. Canadian crews, engineers, and technicians must have access to modern training pipelines, digital learning systems, and AI‑enabled tools that accelerate skill development and build a national knowledge base capable of sustaining a modern submarine enterprise for decades. That’s what sovereign capability truly looks like.
Beyond CPSP, our partnership with TKMS also creates opportunities to support their wider international naval programs, including collaboration across training and mission-readiness for allied fleets. It’s a chance to bring Canadian training excellence into new markets and build on a relationship that can grow well beyond this project.
Together, CAE and TKMS provide a proven platform, supported by the training and sustainment capabilities required for confident, sustained operations at home and with allies.
We are ready to deliver the realistic, responsive training we have provided to navies worldwide for decades, and to support Canada in building a capability that strengthens sovereignty and meets the missions ahead.
Matt Bromberg is President & CEO of CAE
Powering Canada’s Submarine Future: Magellan Expands Global Defence Integration Through Team 212CD
Canada’s future submarine capability is a generational national defence opportunity that strengthens domestic industry, and positions Canadian companies within an expanding global defence framework. Through Team 212CD, Magellan Aerospace Corporation (Magellan) is proud to contribute to an integrated partnership uniting Canada with Germany and Norway under the leadership of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
Magellan’s role in this collaboration builds upon our longstanding relationship with TKMS. In February 2026 Magellan signed a strategic teaming agreement supporting production and in-service sustainment of the heavyweight torpedo for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). This collaboration integrates TKMS’s global leadership in conventional submarine design with Magellan’s expertise in rocket propulsion, energetic materials, precision manufacturing, and complex defence assemblies.
“Building on our collaboration with TKMS, Magellan is pleased to expand our partnership in support of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project,” said Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President of Business Development. “With six decades of expertise delivering mission-critical defence propulsion solutions across air, sea, and space—and proven expertise in propulsion, engineering, and precision manufacturing—this partnership reflects a shared commitment to reliable, innovative undersea capabilities that support Canada’s national security objectives.”
The benefits of this cooperation extend well beyond defence capability. For Canada, Team 212CD represents opportunities for high-skilled employment, advanced manufacturing growth, and long-term industrial participation.
READ: TKMS and Magellan to Support Heavyweight Torpedo Production and In-Service Support for CPSP
From Magellan’s perspective, participation in CPSP is a potential gateway to broader transatlantic opportunity. The European defence market is experiencing sustained growth, with expenditures increasing more than 15 percent year-over-year. Through this cooperation with TKMS, Magellan gains structured access to an established global supply chain and opportunities beyond Canada, positioning our capabilities within expanding European and allied defence markets.
For Canada, this represents economic leverage through strategic partnership. For Magellan, it represents long-term industrial integration within a trusted NATO-aligned team. For the German and Norwegian partners, it represents deeper cooperation with a highly capable Canadian defence industrial base.
Magellan is a global aerospace company delivering complex assemblies and systems solutions across commercial, defence, and space markets. For more than 75 years, we have supported Canadian military and space programs with flight-critical components, propulsion systems, energetic defence products, and space-qualified hardware. Our partnership within Team 212CD reflects a continuation of that legacy—applying proven aerospace manufacturing excellence and propulsion expertise to the undersea domain.
Canada’s submarine program is not simply about platforms. It is about sovereignty, strong alliances, and industrial longevity. Through Team 212CD, and in cooperation with TKMS and their German and Norwegian partners, Magellan is proud to contribute to a solution that reinforces Canada’s national defence while laying foundation for enduring transatlantic cooperation.
Magellan Aerospace is a global, integrated aerospace company that provides complex assemblies and systems solutions to aircraft and engine manufacturers, and space agencies worldwide
Strengthening Canada’s Defence Industrial Base Through CMS Leadership
BY JORDAN FREED
Kongsberg Geospatial (KG) has been contributing to domestic dual-use and defence innovation for over three decades, but our rapid growth over the last few years reflects KONGSBERG’s recognition of the importance of the Canadian market, alignment with Norway’s challenges and the strength of the local talent. Today, I am proud to say that KG is a strategic software development partner for KONGSBERG internationally and that we represent the entire company in Canada. Our objective is to engage on international projects where the end solution will address the priorities of the CAF, so that we can deliver and support the entire solution at home…and CPSP is one of the best examples of this approach in action.
KG has been part of the TKMS-KONGSBERG team developing the ORCCA Combat Management System (CMS) for the U212CD Family of submarines from the outset of the German-Norwegian submarine program. What started as a 2-year Expat assignment to Norway, has evolved into a Canadian based team that has already contributed more than 50,000 hours of complex software development to ORCCA, applying decades of national experience in real-time mission systems, human-machine interface design, and geospatial data fusion. KG’s purpose statement is “Enabling Mission Critical Decisions” and there is no better example than a CMS that serves as the operational nerve center of the U212CD submarine, integrating data from sonar, radar, communication, and navigation systems to enable fast, informed decisions in critical tactical environments,
For CPSP, we will expand on the ORCAA experience in Canada to establish a Combat Management System Center of Excellence (COE) at KG in Ottawa. This is a generational opportunity that will create long-term, high-technology jobs, supporting the evolving needs of all three Navies.
From software integration, validation and testing, to full system acceptance testing and local procurement of hardware, software and support services, the CMS COE at KG will have a significant impact on Canada for decades. The most exciting aspect will be the capability evolution that will provide us opportunities to engage SME’s, academia and to work closely with the National Capital Region’s Defence Innovation Hub, where I have joined the Mayoral Task Force as the Co-chair of the Multinational and Allied Industry sub-committee to help companies like KONGSBERG and TKMS help Canada realize the Build-Partner-Buy vision in the recently released Defence Industrial Strategy and establish strong ties to the European Defence market.
An alliance with Norway and Germany combines Canadian innovation and European experience to strengthen NATO maritime resilience and critically, advances Canada’s sovereignty in undersea defence on all three of our coasts. This partnership represents a powerful transatlantic bond, uniting Canadian creativity with German and Norwegian Engineering heritage around a shared CMS architecture that benefits all partners.
In Norway, Canada secures and strengthens a long-standing relationship with an Arctic partner, supported by a company in KONGSBERG committed to growing our Defence Industrial Base. In Germany, Canada secures a partnership with a leader in the EU Defence Market that is growing at 15% year-over-year, opening opportunities to work with TKMS to support allied Naval programs worldwide.
For Canada, the benefits are transformative. The program establishes a domestic ecosystem of high-value software engineering, systems integration, and sustained export potential, all building Canadian expertise and reinforced through enduring European partnerships. It drives local R&D investment, bolsters the national innovation economy, and directly supports the Government of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy.
Jordan Freed is President and Managing Director at Kongsberg Geospatial
Seaspan Shipyards: Canada’s Sovereign Submarine Experts
The purchase of 12 new conventionally powered submarines, under the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), will be one of Canada’s largest-ever materiel purchases in the country’s history. As the country with the longest coastline in the world, having a fleet of modern, capable submarines is critically important to protect Canada’s security and sovereignty, particularly in the Arctic region.
READ: TKMS and Seaspan to support sovereign sustainment for CPSP
For the CPSP, Canada has decided to procure off-the shelf submarines from a foreign partner. While this decision simplifies the procurement of this complex naval asset, it presents a difficult challenge for Canada to learn to operate and maintain foreign produced submarines for decades to come. Canada has emphasized that building a sovereign submarine sustainment capability is a strategic imperative for CPSP.
Sovereign sustainment means that Canada has the integrated government and industry capability to keep its submarine fleet operational in Canada without over-reliance on foreign governments and suppliers. Unlike Canada’s existing Victoria-Class fleet, Canada now has the opportunity with the CPSP to benefit from a partnership with an experienced submarine builder, modern technology, and a partner Navy user group to help the transition to maintaining this new fleet in Canada. However, what is equally important is for Canada to select strategic local industry partners that can help build its maintenance enterprise quickly and ensure that long-term readiness of the submarines is under Canadian control.
A collaboration between TKMS and Seaspan delivers Canada’s desired outcome for sustainment, bringing together proven global submarine export and operational experience with Canada’s existing sovereign maintenance expertise.
TKMS brings deep experience in conventional submarine exports with more than 180 submarines delivered globally. Through the 212CD program with Germany and Norway, Canada would join a multi-nation user group that benefits from a hot submarine production line, interoperability with NATO, shared research and development, and continued operational knowledge exchange.
Today, Seaspan is Canada’s largest shipbuilding, design and repair company and is a key strategic partner to Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Seaspan’s work under the NSS has been a significant contributor to Canada’s economy, with projected contributions to Canada’s GDP rising to over $20B by 2035 while our NSS work sustain or creates 11,000 annually across our ecosystem.
Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards, based in Esquimalt, is the only Canadian shipyard with existing submarine maintenance expertise, a highly skilled, experienced workforce and an established submarine supply chain consisting of nearly 500 Canadian suppliers. This is a sovereign sustainment capability that Canada can leverage today.
Canada has selected Esquimalt as the location for its future West Coast submarine sustainment facility. Victoria Shipyards’ existing operations, infrastructure, and workforce offer Canada a logical starting point to build its sovereign sustainment enterprise.
Beyond the CPSP, a cooperation with TKMS, Norway, and Germany positions Seaspan and our industry partners well to integrate with the broader European market and TKMS’s international customer base. Seaspan can build upon its existing exports leveraging its fully Canadian capabilities in naval vessel design and engineering, construction, and in-service support.
Seaspan is excited and prepared to work with TKMS, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Maritime Equipment Program, and the Fleet Maintenance Facilities to build the Canadian sustainment enterprise. Canada has a clear path forward to take advantage of Seaspan’s proven submarine expertise and established presence in Esquimalt by selecting Seaspan as its strategic sustainment partner for CPSP.
“What is most critical for the success of the CPSP is to have a domestic, Canadian in-service support capability ready on day one,” says Dave Hargreaves, Senior Vice President – Strategy, Business Development and Communications, Seaspan Shipyards. “Combining the significant experience of TKMS as a builder, with Seaspan’s existing submarine maintenance capabilities, will be essential for the success of this program. As the only industry shipyard in Canada with submarine maintenance experience, Seaspan is well-positioned to deliver on the decades-long sustainment of this new fleet and to deliver broad, long-term economic and strategic benefits for Canada.”
Seaspan designs and builds complex, multi-mission ships for Canada’s Coast guard and Navy under the National Shipbuilding Strategy and provides maintenance, repair, overhaul, conversion, design and construction for all types of vessels.
The Next Frontier of Sovereignty: Why Access to Space is the Ultimate Defence Asset
BY STELLA GUILLEN
Space is no longer a distant scientific curiosity; it is a critical operational domain of national security. Space-based technologies have become strategic assets: from protected satellite communications to responsive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities; precision positioning, navigation, and timing; and, missile warning systems. There is a common understanding of how important space-based capabilities have become for our security. But we face a sobering reality: launch capacity is the critical bottleneck of our time. While the demand for satellite constellations is surging, the global supply of reliable, flexible, and frequent launch services remains dangerously constrained. For sovereign nations, this is not merely a commercial inconvenience; it is a strategic vulnerability.
True sovereignty in the 21st century requires more than just owning satellites; it requires the capability to launch them through a resilient and diversified network of trusted partners. In a crisis, a nation’s defence architecture is only as strong as its most constrained link. By creating the necessary launch pad infrastructure within a nation’s sovereign territory and by diversifying launch partnerships among close allies, nations can ensure they have the flexibility to replenish, defend, and expand their space-based capabilities whenever and wherever required. This collaborative approach to sovereign access ensures that mission-critical technology remains within a circle of trust, providing redundancy necessary for modern defence strategy.
In a world evolving from rules-based to deals-based, access to space is not about prestige, but prosperity and resilience. In the decade ahead, the world will be divided into nations that secure their own orbital pathways through strategic allied partnerships and those that remain vulnerable to premiums and priorities of a congested market.
At Isar Aerospace, we have made it our mission to ensure that Europe and its allied partners fall into the former category. We are the only space company outside the United States able to provide sovereign nations with the entire launch infrastructure to access space. We have not only developed, manufactured, and tested our ‘Spectrum’ launch vehicle almost entirely in-house, but have also built the “machine behind the machine” to go with it: industrially scalable space launch capability. Our new 40,000 m² production facility near Munich – Europe’s largest rocket factory – is physical proof of our resolve.
Our unique platform extends beyond launch vehicles: Isar Aerospace has developed its own dedicated launch pad at Andøya Space in Norway. Continental Europe’s first orbital launch site does not only offer the infrastructure necessary to launch without external interference but also provides a blueprint for partners to follow suit.
Canada is primed for success in the new space race: it has great space heritage and an advantageous geographical location to target polar orbits. Most importantly, it has the necessary resolve to lead in the new space race as underlined by the Defence Industrial Strategy.
As we gather in Ottawa, the message is clear: the strategic centrality of space to security and prosperity is absolute. Isar Aerospace stands ready as the partner of choice for nations that refuse to leave their orbital access to chance. We provide the technology, the scale, and the industrial resolve to ensure that sovereign nations can command the high ground – today and in the future.
Stella Guillen is Chief Commercial Officer at Isar Aerospace
Strengthening Canada’s Industrial Defence Through Strategic Partnership
BY CLAUDE MALLICK
The Marmen and TKMS teaming agreement brings together Marmen, a Canadian high-precision manufacturing company recognized for complex industrial production, and TKMS, a leading European naval defence company specializing in advanced conventional submarines. It closely aligns with the objectives set out in Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, which calls for strengthening sovereign defence capabilities through a “build–partner–buy” approach and deeper collaboration with trusted allies. By anchoring submarine manufacturing in Canada while partnering with an established European naval leader, the cooperation reflects the Strategy’s emphasis on domestic production, secure supply chains, and long-term industrial partnerships that reinforce national security and economic prosperity. It also supports expanding Canadian participation in global defence supply chains, particularly through European cooperation, while ensuring critical defence capabilities are developed and sustained at home.
Canada’s future submarine capability is not only a question of maritime security but also a long-term industrial, economic, and technological undertaking. The teaming agreement between Marmen and TKMS represents an alliance designed to meet these imperatives while reinforcing transatlantic cooperation with Germany, Norway, and Europe. Together, the organizations bring complementary strengths aligned with Canada’s requirements for advanced defence production, economic value creation, and sovereign industrial capability.
At the core of this partnership is Marmen’s expertise in advanced manufacturing. With decades of experience delivering large-scale, high-precision industrial components, Marmen is positioned to support submarine segment production in Canada. This ensures Canada benefits from world-class standards while embedding critical knowledge domestically. For TKMS, the collaboration provides a qualified Canadian partner capable of meeting demanding quality, schedule, and performance requirements — essential in delivering complex submarine programs.
READ: MARMEN Welcomes TKMS Selection as Preferred Supplier for CPSP
Beyond manufacturing, the teaming agreement is structured to create economic value for Canada. By securing significant submarine production domestically, it supports skilled employment, long-term investment, and the development of a resilient defence industrial base. These benefits extend beyond a single program, strengthening Canada’s capacity to sustain and evolve complex naval platforms over their life cycle.
A key objective is the deliberate build-up of Canada’s defence industrial base through global integration. Cooperation with TKMS will position Marmen within an established international submarine supply chain, creating opportunities to participate not only in Canada’s future program but also in allied and export markets. This contributes directly to technological sovereignty and long-term resilience, while enabling Canadian firms to compete internationally.
The partnership also supports TKMS in delivering the Canadian program on schedule. By expanding production capacity through qualified Canadian manufacturing, TKMS enhances its ability to manage timelines while maintaining technical standards. This model increases output capacity, reduces program risk, and reinforces schedule confidence — an essential consideration for a project of national strategic importance.
As Marmen’s President and CEO, Vincent Trudel has emphasized, “TKMS has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing Canada’s industrial capabilities. Marmen is proud to partner on a program of such national significance, bringing Canadian manufacturing expertise to support the next generation of submarine technology.” This vision highlights the value of transatlantic cooperation and trusted partnerships in delivering complex defence capabilities.
This partnership is unique and aligned with Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, as it builds concrete submarine manufacturing expertise domestically rather than offering indirect industrial benefits, and represents a fundamental shift in how Canada builds its defence capabilities. Domestic production ensures sovereign capacity for the long-term maintenance and sustainment of submarines, regardless of geopolitical context.
Ultimately, the Marmen and TKMS teaming agreement is more than an industrial arrangement; it is a strategic investment in Canada’s defence future. By delivering manufacturing capability, economic value, industrial capacity, and enhanced global integration, the collaboration is designed to meet Canada’s requirements today while positioning industry for long-term success in an increasingly complex global defence environment.
Claude Mallick is Director – Marketing and Communications at Marmen
The German-Norwegian CPSP-Bid: Defence Capability, Northern Infrastructure, Indigenous Economic Participation, and Allied Cooperation
BY GARRY BEST
The Inuit Development Corporation Association (IDCA) represents seven major Inuit Development Corporations operating across the Arctic homeland of Canada’s Inuit, Inuit Nunangat: Nunasi Corporation, Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, Inuvialuit Development Corporation, Nunatsiavut Group of Companies, Sakku Investments, Kitikmeot Corporation, and Makivvik. Established pursuant to modern treaties, these corporations collectively own more than 100 operating companies active in infrastructure development, marine services, logistics, energy systems, environmental services, construction, and base operations. IDCA champions the commercial interests of these Inuit-owned enterprises nationally and coordinates participation in major strategic opportunities, including those advanced by the Department of National Defence.
Geopolitical attention on the Arctic has placed Inuit Nunangat at the centre of national discussion. Inuit leaders have been clear: our homeland is not a remote operating environment, but instead is a co-managed, economically active region of Canada. Guided by this, IDCA only works with partners who respect our place in the world and recognize that Inuit bring practical capability to both national defence and economic development.
As Canada advances its evolving “Build-Partner-Buy” approach to procurement, defence investment is being positioned as a nation-building instrument to bolster domestic industry, promote sovereign sustainment capacity, secure supply chains, and support Indigenous economic development. The Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) represents a generational decision within that framework. Its long-term success will depend not only on platform performance, but on how sustainment ecosystems are structured from the outset.
In that context, IDCA and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) have embarked on a shared vision for how Inuit enterprises can contribute to Canada’s next-generation submarine program. That vision is reflected in a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Kiel on February 23, 2026.
Canada has indicated that its future submarine fleet should be sustained domestically and that Indigenous participation will form part of the procurement framework. Achieving that objective requires practical integration, not rhetorical commitment to policies. It demands credible partners capable of delivering infrastructure, logistics, workforce development, and operational support under Arctic conditions. To its credit, TKMS has recognized this opportunity and has sought early alignment with IDCA to consider possible integration of northern capabilities while sustainment frameworks are still under development.
Inuit Development Corporations bring operationally relevant capabilities to the sustainment of Canada’s new submarine fleet. This includes expertise in the planning, construction and operation of Arctic infrastructure. It also includes transportation of personnel and materiel, environmental monitoring, site services, and complex project management in some of the world’s most challenging climatic and logistical conditions – core specialties underpinning effective In-Service Support.
There is also opportunity for Inuit-owned enterprises to contribute to hydrographic surveying, seabed mapping, and enhanced chart production to support safe submarine operations in Arctic waters. As Canada increases its northern maritime presence, Inuit environmental knowledge and technical capacity strengthen operational confidence and safety.
Workforce development is central. In partnership with accredited institutions and industry, IDCA members can help establish pathways for an Inuit workforce capable of supporting logistics management, second-line maintenance, infrastructure operations, and sustainment functions when CPSP assets operate in or near Arctic waters.
These potential contributions from Inuit Development Corporations are material. Arctic submarine operations will be more resilient and sustainable when supported by appropriate northern infrastructure and service delivery provided by trusted regional partners.
Inuit partnership with Germany and Norway, joint-developers of the Type 212CD, adds further depth. These countries operate within governance systems that recognize Indigenous rights and we adhere to rule-of-law traditions. Norway is itself an Arctic nation, and cooperation among democratic Arctic and North Atlantic partners strengthens both industrial collaboration and broader transatlantic security relationships.
Canada’s submarine program is a generational and strategic investment which embeds defence capability, northern infrastructure, Indigenous economic participation, and allied cooperation. IDCA is excited to be part of this nation-building, nation-defending story.
LCdr (Ret’d)Garry Best is Chair at the Inuit Development Corporation Association (IDCA)
