By David Dunlop, 2 October 2025
I recently read an interesting article by Michael J. Lalonde called ‘Which Submarines Should Canada Buy?” This article offers a unique perspective from an informed, professional and Canadian author. Some of his main points are the following:
- The first step is to assess what the government’s objectives are for the new submarine fleet and what capabilities it will need to achieve these objectives. The government has outlined objectives and provided an extensive list of what capabilities it wants.
- After discussing the objectives and the list of desired capabilities, Lalonde then goes through the characteristics of the German/Norwegian TKMS Type 212CD submarine vs Hanwha Ocean’s KSS-II Batch 2 submarine.
- He discusses what the two designs would mean for Canadian operations, keeping in mind the distances and unique characteristics of Canadian Arctic operations. He states that “In short, the German boat brings exceptional stealth shaping, a mature NATO sensor and combat-system ecosystem, and superb choke-point lethality. The Korean boat brings greater weapons volume through VLS, lithium-ion energy for blue-water persistence, more space and automation for crews on long legs, and a vendor-proposed delivery pace that could compress Canada’s transition off Victoria-class.”
- Lalonde's own recommendation is, in short, “The KSS-III is the only conventional submarine that can meet all of Canada’s requirements.”
In my opinion, the author presents a clear, fair and concise opinion on both sides and I totally agree with his recommendation for Canada to acquire 12 of the South Korean-Hanwha Ocean KSS-III Batch 2 submarines. The Canadian government must make a decision on this before the end of 2025. The full article and the author’s biography can be viewed on Mr. Lalonde’s web page at https://www.michaeljlalonde.com/2025/09/15/which-submarine-should-canada-buy/
Image: A photo of a KSS-III Batch I on the left and a rendering of the Type 212 CD on the right. Credit: Republic of Korea Navy, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
