Lockheed Martin has delivered a proposal to the Canadian government to build a new frigate based on the British Type 26 Global Combat Ship design to fill Ottawa’s Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) requirement.

Although Lockheed Martin Canada is leading the team, the Type 26 is a British vessel that was designed by BAE Systems. The first of eight planned Type 26 frigates is currently under construction for the British Royal Navy and promises to be a capable vessel if Canada adopts it.

"The Type 26 Global Combat Ship is a flexible, next generation warship design which offers a low risk and affordable solution for the Canadian Surface Combatant program,” Anne Healey, BAE Systems’ country director for Canada said in a statement. “With the UK Type 26 program running ahead of CSC, our Canadian ship will benefit from lessons learnt on the UK program. This schedule also allows Type 26 the opportunity to be the most advanced Canadian Surface Combatant.”

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Lockheed Martin, BAE and the host of Canadian, European and American firms have modified the basic Type 26 design for Canada’s requirements. Chief among the modifications is the addition of the indigenous Canadian-designed CMS 30 combat management system, which is currently installed onboard the upgraded Halifax-class frigates that are the mainstay of the Canadian fleet.

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However, the Type 26 is not the sole competitor for the CSC program. Other bidders are submitting the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate design and the French/Italian FREMM design. But regardless of who ultimately wins the CSC design contest, the prime contractor to build the ships will be Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

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If Ottawa’s plans materialize, the Royal Canadian Navy will buy 15 of the new Canadian Surface Combatants to replace its existing fleet of 12 Halifax-class frigates and four Iroquois-class destroyers, all of which have now been retired. The Lockheed Martin bid was entered two days ahead of the final deadline for the program. The Canadian Department of National Defense is expected to announce a winning bid some time in 2018.

The Canadian government expects that it will cost roughly $56-60 billion to build 15 ships, but the actual costs will not be known until after the CSC Project Definition Phase is completed. Canada expects to start construction of the first CSC vessel in the early-2020s. The last of 15 vessels will probably be built in the 2040s and the class could remain in service into the 2070s. Thus, the Canadian government has to carefully select a design that will remain in service for more than half a century in the future.

Given Canada’s less than stellar defense procurement track record, it is hard to say at this point how smoothly the CSC program will proceed. A realist might suggest that the trials and tribulations are just beginning.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @Davemajumdar.

Image: Reuters. 

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