Canadian Offshore Patrol Ship contract awarded
The Public Works and Government Services department of Canada has awarded a contract for six Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) to Irving Shipbuilding, the department announced on 23 January.
Under the contract worth C$2.3 billion ($1.85 billion), the company will construct six AOPS as part of the national shipbuilding procurement strategy.
Construction of an initial block for the first AOPS is scheduled for the summer, while full production will commence in September 2015. Delivery of the first HMCS Harry DeWolf class ship is expected in 2018.
The new DeWolf-class Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships will be equipped with state of the art sensors and will also be able to operate and support the new CH-148 Cyclone naval helicopters. Operating in conjunction with other capabilities of the Canadian armed forces and the Canadian Coast Guard, the DeWolf-class ships will play a critical role in the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic.
The AOPS will have a number of capabilities, including: the ability to operate in first-year ice up to one metre in thickness; the ability to sustain operations for up to four months; command, control and communication capability to exchange real-time information with the armed forces maritime security operations centres; modern surface search radars; and a gun armament.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment]()
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
