The largest and most advanced submarine in the Royal Canadian Navy has gone into service.
The Canadian Maritime Patrols (CMPR) will have three new submarines, the first of which is the Type 63.
It’s the second of two submarines that will replace the Type 59 and Type 61 submarines currently in service with the Royal Navy.
The Type 63 will replace HMCS Fort William, which is on permanent reserve, as well as HMCS Regina, HMCS Calgary, HMCT Halifax, HMCP Edmonton and HMCS Fredericton.
The second Type 63 submarine will replace Royal Canadian Forces (RCF) HMCS Aurora and HMCT Edmonton.
The third Type 63 is scheduled for commission in 2018.
The CMPR is also working on a new nuclear-powered sub, and plans to replace the diesel-powered Type 59 with a diesel-electric version.
In the meantime, the RCP is in the midst of replacing the Type 61.
It is expected to be operational in 2024.
The submarine class that’s been in service since 1943 is in need of repairs.
It has a wide range of functions, including: navigation, surveillance, search and rescue, maritime patrol, mine countermeasures, search-and-rescue, and search-for-enemy-forces missions.
The class also provides close support to the Royal Fleet and to Canadian forces in the Mediterranean and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific.
It provides support for multinational and inter-provincial missions, including support for the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Canada’s military has been working on the replacement of HMCS Edmonton since early 2014, but the project has been delayed by a number of issues.
As a result, the new submarine class will be the first to be built in the Arctic region, a region that has been a military hotbed for decades.
The RCP was commissioned in 2014 and has been operating in the eastern Arctic since that time.
Its first mission will be to provide patrol support to HMCS Thunder Bay, the third ship of HMCT Thunder Bay.
The new submarine will be capable of operating at depths of up to 4,000 metres, and will have a range of 1,500 kilometres.
The current Type 59 has a range between 1,400 and 2,400 kilometres.
In addition to the submarine class, the CMPR will also be upgrading the current HMCS Ottawa to replace HMCT Fort William.
HMCS Winnipeg will replace an aging Type 59, which will be replaced by the Type 62, which has a longer range.
HMCT Calgary will replace a Type 61 that has a much shorter range, and HMCF Frederictons sister ship HMCT Portland will replace its sister ship, HMC Edmonton.
Both the Type 60 and Type 62 will be retired by the end of the year.
The latest HMCS Montreal, HMTC Thunder Bay and HMCR Winnipeg will be decommissioned by the RCAF in 2023.
The replacement submarines will also replace HMAC Edmonton and the current Type 61 and Type 59.
Both submarines will be delivered to the Canadian Forces early next year.