Canadian Navy enhances mine detection capabilities

The Canadian government has awarded a contract to MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA) to provide mission critical systems to support mine detection missions and route survey operations for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels. The contract, announced 2 November, is valued at $13.4 million.

Under the contract, MDA will repair and upgrade four deployable route survey systems.  During that time, they will repair, upgrade or replace the various elements of the system that it originally delivered for the Royal Canadian Navy’s Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels in 1999.

The main element of the system is a towed sensor, which is deployed from a ship to provide a sonar image map of the sea floor. The system also enables crews to maintain a database of such maps. This data is then used, in conjunction with other sensor systems, to detect and identify any suspect objects on the sea floor. The route survey system mapping is then used by Royal Canadian Navy diving teams undertaking harbour inspections, ordnance disposal and sea mine clearance.

The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Associate Minister of National Defence for the Canadian government, said: ‘The Route Survey System is a valuable tool for our navy crews in their coastal surveillance and patrols, giving them information that helps them to protect the sovereignty and security of our Canadian coasts, harbours, and shipping lanes. Through this investment for our sailors, we are also investing in important Canadian technology and the creation of high-quality jobs in the technology sector.’