Canadian Surface Combatant RFQ

[Underway]

Taiwan to Begin Light Frigate Construction in June - Naval News

Taiwan is set to start construction of two 2,500-ton Light Frigate in June following a contract awarded to a local shipbuilder this month.

www.navalnews.com

Taiwan Starts Construction of New Light ASW Frigate - Naval News

On 16 January 2024, the Taiwanese state news agency CNA reported that construction of the Taiwanese navy’s new light frigate, which specializes in anti-submarine warfare, has begun.

www.navalnews.com

I obviously confused the Taiwan light frigate program with the Korean light frigate program. To many programs for corvettes and light frigates in the Asia pacific to keep straight.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I obviously confused the Taiwan light frigate program with the Korean light frigate program. To many programs for corvettes and light frigates in the Asia pacific to keep straight.

Ugh I would not want to be on a Taiwanese Frigate when things heat up. The odds of long term survival in that contested waters would not be good.

 

[Lumber]

I obviously confused the Taiwan light frigate program with the Korean light frigate program. To many programs for corvettes and light frigates in the Asia pacific to keep straight.

It'd be nice if they gave it a more memorable name than just "Light Frigate" prgoram.

 

[Rainbow1910]

Canada Looks to US Navy for Non-Developmental EW for CSC

Article on EW for the CSC.

-Electronic Attack is provided by NULKA -The Nulka active missile decoy is the most sophisticated soft-kill defence system against anti-ship missiles available for the protection of surface warships (stuff in bold is from the Nulka website... take it with salt though the system is quite good, if it was that good though the USN wouldn't need SEWIP Block 3)
-Electronic Support provided by AN/SLQ-32(V)6 (SEWIP Block 2) - The SEWIP Block 2 system provides early detection, analysis, and threat warning from anti-ship missiles for surface ships.
-MDA is still doing the laser warning and countermeasure system
-SRD 506 is going to be installed as well - communications detection system, the family of which we use in the RCN
-the one thing they are missing is the SOPD which are big floaty decoys that look like 20 sided dice. Those are also EA systems

The reasons for changes from some previously listed equipment (RAVEN, Zeus, NGDS) is as follows:

Code for... most of this stuff is already integrated into AEGIS so lets not screw around paying for different equipment to be integrated (or more likely US will not allow any changes to AEGIS). It's also a shot against RAVEN which is still in development.

Overall good decision for the project to reduce integration risk, though I really liked the Safran NGDS trainable decoy launcher system quite a bit even over NULKA mainly because of its flexibility and coverage.

I wonder if RAVEN will be entirely discarded or if this is just a measure to finalize the design and expedite the construction timeline? RAVEN likely has some value as an export system due to being ITAR free alongside being the system the RCN ultimately wants due to it being built from the ground up for CSC as far as I know. RAVEN should have electronic attack capability (?) while SEWIP Block 2 lacks it, I am a bit hesitant to see if this is a good idea if we lose that capability and don't get it back on some ships given the threats we will be facing.

Will RAVEN or SEWIP Block 3 be fitted to future batches of CSC and potentially be retrofitted to the initial batch? Is there some other EA system to give capability to a SEWIP Block 2 equipped vessel?

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

You should see the eye rolls when I talk about the steamers. Although the youngsters now think that I'm discussing medieval times.

Yep! I've been asked "What do you mean "the helmsman is not on the bridge and you don't really know the exact speed the engines are going at"?"

 

[Underway]

I wonder if RAVEN will be entirely discarded or if this is just a measure to finalize the design and expedite the construction timeline? RAVEN likely has some value as an export system due to being ITAR free alongside being the system the RCN ultimately wants due to it being built from the ground up for CSC as far as I know. RAVEN should have electronic attack capability (?) while SEWIP Block 2 lacks it, I am a bit hesitant to see if this is a good idea if we lose that capability and don't get it back on some ships given the threats we will be facing.

Will RAVEN or SEWIP Block 3 be fitted to future batches of CSC and potentially be retrofitted to the initial batch? Is there some other EA system to give capability to a SEWIP Block 2 equipped vessel?

Until Block 3 Nulka was good enough.

I would not expect anything other than what the US uses or has already integrated to be installed on an Aegis ship. So look at historical stuff and other EA systems and take your pick. Since CMS looks to be relegated to Sonar equipment only it pretty much removes the entire point of having your own EW development if you can't integrate it.

Canada loses a ton of sovereign control over naval equipment with this setup. There is a reason the Italians, British and France keep their own CMS systems. So they can integrate their own equipment.

 

[Czech_pivo]

FYI - queue the first of many future DoD news releases on CAF defense spending that the Trump has been re-elected.

Canada inks $1.85 billion CAD deal with Lockheed for Halifax-class frigate support​

Canada inks $1.85 billion CAD deal with Lockheed for Halifax-class frigate support - Breaking Defense

Lockheed's Glenn Copeland told Breaking Defense the contract has options to continue through the end of service for the Halifax class.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Pelorus]

FYI - queue the first of many future DoD news releases on CAF defense spending that the Trump has been re-elected.

Canada inks $1.85 billion CAD deal with Lockheed for Halifax-class frigate support​

Canada inks $1.85 billion CAD deal with Lockheed for Halifax-class frigate support - Breaking Defense

Lockheed's Glenn Copeland told Breaking Defense the contract has options to continue through the end of service for the Halifax class.

breakingdefense.com

Are you saying that this deal was inked in the 48hrs since the US election?

 

[Lumber]

Are you saying that this deal was inked in the 48hrs since the US election?

It definitely wasn't. This contract has been years in the making.

 

[Pelorus]

Yes, that's my point. The entire world doesn't revolve around Trump or even the US.

 

[GR66]

FYI - queue the first of many future DoD news releases on CAF defense spending that the Trump has been re-elected.

Canada inks $1.85 billion CAD deal with Lockheed for Halifax-class frigate support​

Canada inks $1.85 billion CAD deal with Lockheed for Halifax-class frigate support - Breaking Defense

Lockheed's Glenn Copeland told Breaking Defense the contract has options to continue through the end of service for the Halifax class.

breakingdefense.com

I wonder what $1.85 billion worth of Duct Tape looks like?

 

[YZT580]

perhaps just an end to procrastination?

 

[Furniture]

perhaps just an end to procrastination?

This has been one of the CRCN's priorities for a while as far as I'm aware, so doubtful.

 

[Navy_Pete]

This has been one of the CRCN's priorities for a while as far as I'm aware, so doubtful.

And on the go at MEPM for years knowing the FELEX ISSC was running out. Things like that start during the option years, especially with that kind of price tag. This one has been kicking around for a few CRCNs.

 

[dapaterson]

That's what, three ships?

 

[Navy_Pete]

That's what, three ships?

Sure, but it's for maintenance of the software, so probably doesn't scale back much from whatever we are paying for 12 ships. Good work if you can get it!

 

[Underway]

TKMS Shows MEKO A-400 AMD Missile Frigate At Euronaval 2024

German builder TKMS has shown its MEKO A-400 AMD missile frigate at Euronaval 2024 in Paris. The concept aims at the German F127 requirement

www.navalnews.com

If you read down looks like Germany might be building a Spy 7 Aegis CMS 330 combo ship like us. There were lots of rumours flying that Germany was looking at CMS 330 to replace their domestic CMS in the future.

Their solution is to use a second radar to cue the CMS for weapons etc... that were not integrated into Aegis.

Super interesting. I'm liking this German Canadian connection and seeing that it goes both ways.

 

[Lumber]

That's what, three ships?

The contract is to support the whole fleet out to end of life. It's not for refits, it's for the maintenance of CMS and the integration of any new weapons and sensors that come along. Any new weapons and sensors would be a completely different contract.

 

[Cloud Cover]

This has been one of the CRCN's priorities for a while as far as I'm aware, so doubtful.

Where was the holdup? Legal?

 

[dapaterson]

The contract is to support the whole fleet out to end of life. It's not for refits, it's for the maintenance of CMS and the integration of any new weapons and sensors that come along. Any new weapons and sensors would be a completely different contract.

The Halifax class doesn't need new weapons or sensors.

It needs top to bottom structural work.