Canadian Defense Ministry Confirms Construction of 15 New Destroyers

The Ministry of Defense of Canada has officially confirmed the start of preparations for the production of a large series of promising River-class destroyers.

This was reported by the Canadian government on its official website.

In addition to the announcement of the formal start of construction of individual components for the ships, the names of the first of the three ordered destroyers were also published.

According to Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair, the names for the ships are chosen carefully, and a series of 15 destroyers will be named after Canada’s most important waterways.

June 28 marked the start of construction on the production test module (PTM), through which the Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. will be able to test and streamline processes, and implement lessons learned into the build process, to enable the start of full rate production.

The first ship, the production of which will begin in 2024 and the official keel laying in 2025, is named HMCS Fraser. The second and third ships of the type were named Saint-Laurent, and Mackenzie.

Delivery of the first River-class destroyer, HMCS Fraser, is expected in the early 2030s, with the final ship expected by 2050.

“The Canadian Surface Combatant project is at the core of our government’s commitment to revitalize Canada’s marine industry through the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The start of construction activities marks a significant milestone in the efforts to rebuild Canada’s shipbuilding industry, bringing highly skilled jobs and economic benefits to Canadians during construction and throughout the operational life of the class. These modern ships will be critical to ensuring the ongoing ability of the members of the Royal Canadian Navy to continue their important work protecting Canadians,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

The construction of the destroyers will take place at Irving Shipbuilding and Lockheed Martin Canada-BAE Systems, both located in Halifax. It should be noted that the new ships will replace the already decommissioned Iroquois destroyers and Halifax frigates, which are currently reaching the end of their service lives.

The CSC is based on BAE Systems’ Type 26 warship design being built by the United Kingdom and Australia. Although the ships will be structurally similar, the Canadian version will have a more powerful AN/SPY-7(V)3 radar system and a wider range of weapons: 24 Mk.41 cells for anti-aircraft missiles and cruise missiles, six cells for 24 Sea Ceptor missiles, and eight NSM anti-ship missiles.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Norwegian Ministry of Defense is considering the purchase of British Type 26 anti-submarine frigates to counter Russian submarines.

The country’s interest is related to the platform’s prospects and powerful anti-submarine weapons. In addition, Type 26 frigates are the only specialized anti-submarine frigates in Europe.