How Canada is preparing the future River-class destroyers to endure uncrewed threats
Rendering of a River-class vessel. (Photo: Irving Shipbuilding Inc)
Designed in 2019, Canada’s new River-class destroyers are planned to be handed over by the 2050s. The long procurement timeline has cast doubt on whether the platforms will be obsolete for tomorrow’s warfare.
The long-term schedule of the Canadian River-class destroyer (RCD) programme and the growing proliferation of aerial, surface and underwater uncrewed systems in maritime theatres have raised questions about whether the future RCDs will be capable of facing autonomous platform attacks.
With an acquisition goal of 15 ships, this procurement effort started in 2016 and a design was selected in 2019. To date, three vessels are under contract. The first one, HMCS Fraser, is being built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc (ISI) and is scheduled for delivery from 2032.
An official spokesperson for the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) told
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