Background
Built for the Royal Navy between 1983 and 1993, the four Victoria-class submarines were purchased by Canada in 1998. The Victoria class will reach the end of their service lives in the mid- to late-2030s. [3] The 2017 defence policy did not commit to a replacement for the submarines but did promise funds to modernize and continue operating the Victoria class.
The CPSP was established in 2021 to identify the RCN's requirements for a new submarine and make recommendations to the government. By 2023, the Ottawa Citizen reported that the RCN was pitching the purchase of up to 12 submarines at a cost of approximately $60 billion CAD. [4] The government defence policy update, released in April 2024, said Canada would "explore options" for a replacement but did not explicitly commit to new submarines. [5]
However, at the NATO summit in July 2024, the Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair announced that Canada was formally moving ahead with the project. The government issued a formal Request for Information (RFI) in September 2024. [6]
The RFI outlined 15 draft high level mandatory requirements, including: [7]
- Urgency, availability, and sustainment – the ability to deliver the first submarine, training and maintenance facilities by 2035.
- Fleet size – three submarines must be available for deployment simultaneously, and three additional boats must be available for training and exercises.
- Endurance and persistence – range of at least 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) and at least 21 days of submerged endurance on station.
- Lethality – armed with torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and long-range precision land-attack missiles.
- Operating environment – able to operate worldwide from the tropics to the Arctic. They must be able to operate near, in and if necessary, under ice for limited periods of time.
