Originally published: Navy News, 16 October 2020.
With the release of Canada’s defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged in 2017, the Government of Canada signaled its commitment to renewing the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) fleet.
As part of an effort to deliver a Blue Water Navy built around the ability to sustain two naval task groups of up to four combatants and a joint support ship, supplemented when warranted by a submarine and maritime air assets, the government committed to the acquisition of 15 Canadian Surface Combatants (CSC).
The CSC is Canada’s next generation warship, which will eventually replace both the recently retired Iroquois class and today’s modernized Halifax class. Capabilities from both classes will be modernized and future-proofed to ensure not only that systems stay relevant for years to come, but more importantly that tomorrow’s sailors have the equipment they need when sent into harm’s way. It forms part of a broad vision of defence capabilities that will serve Canada’s defence interests well into the latter half of the century.
Read the full article: https://navy-marine.forces.gc.ca/assets/NAVY_Internet/docs/en/fleet/csc_eng_1.pdf
3 thoughts on “The Canadian Surface Combatant – More than Just a Ship”
Again, should be a very impressive and capable frigate for the RCN. Will it also be fitted for but not with a BMD capability? Can the MK 41 VLS be extended to handle SM3/SM6 missiles? Will the CSC Frigate also have a laser guided weapon system (Lockheed Martin’s DEW-fitted port/stbd mid-ships) sometime in the future? What X Band AESA Illumination Targeting Radar from MDA will be fitted (Thales AESA Sea Fire 500)? These are all capability questions we do not know the answers to as of now.
Agree. But I’d hold to that thought. The CSC Project is now in Definition Phase, which means the requirements reconciliation has been completed. The first delivery is planned for “mid-2020s”, and it could as well stretch to “late-2020s” due to COVID-19, etc. Unless there is a major change in priorities or naval warfare, I think, we are not going to see any of these advanced capabilities (such as BMD, DEW) till the second batch of frigates (in mid-2030??)
Reference: Canadian Surface Combatant Project overview
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/dnd-mdn/documents/quad-charts/csc-quad-chart-en.pdf
Hello Old Sailor. Your points are well taken, however, the chart timelines have shifted to the right and is in need of an update. Major changes in priorities and advanced capabilities could come much sooner than we all expect with possible changes in government. Perhaps we cannot wait for the second batch of frigates to come into focus down the road. World challenges may dictate sooner rather than later what capabilities Canada needs as a minimum.