November 11, 2020 | Local, Naval
The RCN last week unveiled a PDF document shedding light on the latest configuration retained for its next gen class of frigate: the CSC. Naval News contacted various sources familiar with the program to confirm the selection of a number of systems listed in the document.
What stands out in this new document is fact that the CSC will be fitted with a wide range of weapons, both offensive and defense, in a mix never seen before in any surface combatant.
While NSM launchers were shown in the past on CSC scale models at various tradeshows (Surface Navy and Sea Air Space), the CSC model on display at DSEI 2019 was showing Harpoon launchers aboard the frigate
To our knowledge, it is the first time that an official Royal Canadian Navy lists the NSM as the main anti-surface warfare (ASuW) weapon for the CSC. Contacted by Naval News, an industry source said Kongsberg was close to finalizing the deal.
NSM has an operational range of 100 nautical miles (185 Km) and a high subsonic speed. It uses Inertial, GPS and terrain-reference navigation and imaging infrared homing (with a target database aboard the missile). The NSM is a fifth generation anti-sip missile, produced by Kongsberg and managed in the U.S. by Raytheon. NSM reached Initial Operational Capability on the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and Skjold-class corvettes in 2012. It is also fielded by the Polish Navy (coastal defense batteries) and has been selected by the navies of Malaysia and Germany. NSM was also selected in 2018 as the winner of the U.S. Navy Over-The-Horizon Weapon System (OTH WS) competition and by the USMC last year. It will be fitted aboard the Littoral Combat Ship and the Constellation-class frigates. In the case of Canada, is selected, the NSM will likely be sourced from Raytheon via an FMS deal, rather than procured directly from Norway.
If Tomahawk missiles end up in the CSC weapons package, this would be quite significant. So far, Raytheon's land attack cruise missile has only been exported to the United Kingdom in its submarine launched variant. Canada would become the second export customer for the missile and the only navy, with the US Navy to deploy it from surface vessels.
Naval News contacted Raytheon for comment but we have not heard back yet. During the Sea Air Space 2019 tradeshow, representatives from Lockheed Martin Canada confirmed to Naval News the MK41 VLS aboard the frigate were “strike length”.
The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship- and submarine-based land-attack operations. Its latest variant, the RGM/UGM-109E Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM Block IV) has a range of 900 nautical miles (or 1,000 mi / 1,700 km).
The last thing that really caught our attention in the RCN document is the fact that both the ESSM and Sea Ceptor are listed. On paper, the two missiles are direct competitors and redundant:
ESSM is a medium-range, all-weather, semi-active radar-guided missile used in surface-to-air and surface-to-surface roles. According to open sources, the RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) has a range of about 27 nautical miles (50 Km) and a top speed of Mach 4+. Unlike ESSM Block 1, the Block 2's active radar homing seeker will support terminal engagement without the launch ship's target illumination radars. The improved ESSM Block 2 will be fielded by the US Navy from 2020. Canada is one of the 12 nations taking part in the NATO-led ESSM consortium and will be deploying the Block 2 variant aboard the future CSC. The will be launched from the Mk41 VLS. The missiles can be “quad packed” in a single cell.
According to MBDA, Sea Ceptor is the next-generation, ship-based, all-weather, air defence weapon system. The Weapon System has the capability to intercept and thereby neutralise the full range of current and future threats including combat aircraft and the new generation of supersonic anti-ship missiles. Capable of multiple channels of fire, the system will also counter saturation attacks. It has a range of 25 Km, a speed of Mach 3 and features an active RF seeker. Also known as Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (Maritime) – CAMM(M), this new missiles has already been fielded aboard the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates and the Royal New Zealand Navy ANZAC-class frigates. Sea Ceptor will also be fitted aboard the future Type 26 frigates.
Contacted by Naval News, an MBDA source shed some light on how the Sea Ceptor was selected in addition to the ESSM. The two missiles were not competing against each other. Raytheon's ESSM was selected to provide “point defense”. Instead, MBDA pitched its missile for the RCN's close in weapons system (CIWS) requirement. The Sea Ceptor beat out systems usually used in that role such as the RAM, SeaRam or Phalanx. The final Sea Ceptor configuration aboard the CSC still needs finalized and confirmed but it will likely be 24x missiles launched from Lockheed Martin's Extensible Launching System (ExLS) located amidship. The RCN would become the launch customer for that new launcher alongside the Brazilian Navy (for its new corvette design based on the TKMS MEKO A-100) depending on who signs the contract first.
Surveillance & Weapon Sensors
Electronic Warfare & Countermeasures Suite
Naval News comments: An industry source informed us that except for the Torpedo decoy systems (to be provided by Ultra) the decoy launchers for CSC and their ammunition is one of the few systems that are still “up in the air”. We were told however that the RCN wants the full range of decoy types available on the market today: Infra red, chaff, corner reflectors, smoke for masking / screening and even offboard active decoys (such as Nulka). The EW suite of the CSC will be known as the RAVEN. Designed by Lockheed Martin Canada, it is based on the RAMSES system currently fitted aboard the Halifax-class frigates.
Command & Control
Aviation Facilities
Weapons
Naval News comments: The main gun is another system on which the RCN has yet to formally make a choice. According to our sources, Italy's Leonardo 127/64 LW is still in competition against BAE System's Mk45 Mod 4. Note that the CSC scale models and illustrations (above) have always shown the American gun. In addition, the UK's Type 26 and Australia's Hunter-class frigates will both use the later naval gun system. A possible FMS of SM-2 Block IIIC missiles for the CSC was approved last week.
Reconfigurable Mission & Boat Bays
Propulsion & Power Generation
Integrated Underwater Warfare System
Specifications:
Naval News comments: The displacement figure (7,800 tonnes) shown on the RCN document is probably the “full load” displacement. For comparison, the official figure for the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate is 6,900 tons standard displacement while the official figure for the Royal Australian Navy's Hunter-class frigate is 8,800 tons at full load.
In addition to the PDF unveiled last week, the Royal Canadian Navy Director of Naval Strategy, Captain Nucci, published an article on CSC in USNI's proceedings:
“Canada is pursuing a single class of 15 surface combatants for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), unlike some of its allies who are building multiple classes of more specialized ships. A single variant Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) is better than the project's original vision of two variants based on a common hull (the first a task group command/air-defense version, the other a more general-purpose/antisubmarine warfare version). While all naval force structure is essentially driven by national strategic defense and security interests, a single-class solution is based on three principal factors. First, it fits best for Canada's unique naval requirements shaped by its geography, modest fleet size, and the RCN's operational needs. Second, it optimizes effectiveness now and into the future, while responsibly seeking maximum cost efficiencies. Finally, it is an innovative approach that has only recently become both practical and advantageous because of recent technological developments, such as convergence and digitization.”
Captain Christopher Nucci, Royal Canadian Navy, Proceedings, USNI, November 2020
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/11/royal-canadian-navy-unveils-new-details-on-csc-frigates/
October 3, 2023 | Local, Land
Canada is deploying tanks on an overseas mission for the first time in more than a decade, but the future for the country’s armored fleet is uncertain.
September 14, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Premium content David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News (dpugliese@ottawacitizen.com) Published: Sep 11 at 7 a.m. Updated: Sep 11 at 2:01 p.m. Candidates have been interviewed for the country's top military position but whoever is selected will likely have the tough job of presiding over significant cuts to the Canadian Forces as the federal government tries to get its fiscal house in order. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced July 23 that Gen. Jonathan Vance would leave the position as chief of the defence staff, the job he has held since July 2015. Trudeau said he expected a new CDS to be named in the coming months. Defence and government sources say interviews for the position were held this week with a number of candidates. Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross, who is heading into retirement, is considered the front-runner for the job if she wants it. Whitecross still has an office at defence headquarters at Carling Avenue and there is an interest in the Liberal government to have a woman in the job of defence chief for the first time. The view that Whitecross has strong support within the Liberal government was further solidified when Trudeau took the unusual step on July 18 of singling out the lieutenant general on Twitter. He thanked the officer for her three decades of service in the Canadian Forces and for “being a strong voice for gender equality in the military.” Among the other individuals considered to be candidates for the chief of defence staff job are Lt.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, who recently took over as second-in-command of the Canadian Forces, navy commander Vice Adm. Art McDonald, air force commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger and army commander Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre. Vice-Admiral Darren Hawco's name has also been mentioned. At least eight individuals were to be interviewed, according to various government sources. But the new CDS is expected to face the challenge of dealing with significant budget cuts because of the financial strain on federal coffers created by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Spending on various emergency relief programs has resulted in Canada's deficit increasing to $343 billion this year, according to the federal government's economic snapshot released in early July. Trudeau has acknowledged that the full economic impact of the pandemic is unknown. A second COVID-19 wave could further worsen the economic situation. Department of National Defence deputy minister Jody Thomas said in a June 5 interview with The Canadian Press that she hasn't seen any indication defence spending, and the government's defence policy called Strong, Secure, Engaged, or SSE, will even be affected at all by COVID-19. There have been no slowdowns and the DND and Canadian Forces has been aggressively pushing forward on implementing SSE, according to Thomas. Behind the scenes, however, there is significant concern within some quarters in the military about the cuts expected in the coming years. Some organizations within National Defence headquarters have already told staff to prepare for a rocky road in the future. The Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence, with the largest source of discretionary funds in the federal government, is a ripe target for cost-cutting. DND's current budget is listed as $21.9 billion. SSE has been billed by the Liberal government and its supporters as “a historical investment in Canada's military” since it promises $497 billion for the Canadian Armed Forces over 20 years. But the policy was always built on shaky foundations, as was the previous Canada First Defence Strategy brought in by the Conservative government and largely undercut by funding reductions at that time. Despite defence analysts' cheerleading on both policies, the fact is that such strategies only promise future spending. There is no guarantee and plans can be jettisoned as fiscal circumstances change. In 1994 the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chretien embarked on significant cost-cutting measures throughout the federal government as it struggled to deal with the deficit. The Canadian Forces and the DND were a prime target during that period. Equipment was mothballed. Military and civilian staff were cut. The coming years could see a replay of similar cost-reduction measures. Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020 https://www.saltwire.com/news/canada/analysis-new-defence-chiefs-main-job-could-be-to-preside-over-budget-cuts-495666/
February 19, 2020 | Local, Naval
Ottawa, Canada: ABS today announced it is engaged in a pilot program with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) to deliver the ABS Digital Asset Framework for the RCN's Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels. The ABS Digital Asset Framework forms the foundation of a broader Conditioned-Based Class program that transforms ship classification from a calendar-based schedule to a condition-based model. The project, which will start with HMCS Saskatoon, will support the RCN's larger Digital Navy Initiative. “ABS is a leader in delivering condition-based maintenance data services in maritime and offshore applications, and we are proud that the RCN have chosen to work with us on this landmark project,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO. “Through our digital programs for commercial and government clients, we are seeing first-hand the power of these technologies to drive improved asset performance and operational safety.” In the pilot program, a network of data models will be generated from a suite of ABS digital solutions which include advanced condition analysis tools. This network of data models will support the execution of an integrity management program developed specifically for the RCN. The multi-year pilot program will enable the RCN to monitor the condition of the vessel throughout its remaining service life using digital twin technology and advanced ABS analytics to identify anomalies, guiding inspection and maintenance planning. ABS digital solutions that will be applied during this pilot program include: • A vessel-specific structural sensor plan designed for measurement of global hull response • Hull sensor pre-processing and data quality checks • Hull and operational data dashboard visualizations • Full structural digital twin creation and analytics • RAM Analysis Together, the digital solutions offer greater access to vessel-wide intelligence providing a more holistic view of structural health and the condition of on-board equipment. This allows the RCN to plan future maintenance actions based on the actual condition of the vessel. About ABS ABS, a leading global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries, is committed to setting standards for safety and excellence in design and construction. Focused on safe and practical application of advanced technologies and digital solutions, ABS works with industry and clients to develop accurate and cost-effective compliance, optimized performance and operational efficiency for marine and offshore assets. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200217005014/en/