Canada has set a very high goal of building 15 type 26 frigates. Not only that, but they have grown in capability and weight from what was their original design. These ships, will now be twice the displacement of the frigates they are replacing. Making them more akin to a destroyer. This is why they are referred to as the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ship.
Now comes the scary part… the cost. Our ships are going to cost a lot more than what our allies are paying for theirs. Not only that, but we will not be seeing ours any time soon. Why are we going to be paying twice as much I hear you ask? Well, there is an answer that is not to outrages, but we are talking about Canada here, and things doubling in cost is kind of part of our heritage. And we Canadians are very proud of our heritage.
One thing also that needs to be addressed is the fact that Canada has just recently updated all of our frigates. These ships are not that old and with their new sensors and weapons they will be able to protect our waters and fulfill NATO missions for the next 15 years.
There will be a capability gap between 2035 and 2050. This gap will likely be filled with expensive retrofits to some of our present frigates, while we retire those beyond repair. We will also need to start the process of building 8 Offshore Coastal Patrol Vessels now.They need to be more capable than the Kingston-class. We also need to start negotiations for the purchase of 6-8 (arctic capable) Taigei-class submarines.
Ship building is usually a very boom and bust business. Shipyards get government contracts like we are doing now every 30 years or so. They build like crazy for 5-10 years, then they curl up and die till the next round of procurement happens.
Our government is going to try something new and spread out the building of these ships. This will break the boom and bust cycle of our ship building. Keeping experienced workers working and yards capable of filling future requirements without having to rebuild the yards and train the shipbuilders like we are doing now.
With an order of 15 ships this will keep Irving’s shipyards and supporting facilities busy for the next 25 years
First ship delivery for trials early 2030’s with completion of all 15 ships by 2050.
These ships are Canada’s first truly offensive/defensive weapon system. Everything else is really just defensive and this goes for all branches of the military. Canada thinks of itself only as a “peace keeper”. Heaven forbid we ever get into a conflict with a capable peer nation. (Of Canada’s 4 submarines only recently has a second submarine been enabled to fire torpedos.)
Stretching out the building over a greater time period, adds significantly to costs to these already expensive type 26 ships. This may prove, however, to be the most responsible decision this government has made.
image sources
- Type 26 frigate model: navylookout | CC BY-NC 2.0 Generic