MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has been awarded a contract by the Royal Canadian Navy to provide in-service support for training and maintenance of the Victoria-class Trainers.
The Trainers, located at CFB Halifax, are used to train personnel on operating and maintaining Victoria-class submarines.
The four-year deal, worth CA$16m, includes options for an additional two years, and will strengthen Canada’s domestic security capability. The submarines also support Canadian Arctic and maritime sovereignty.
Training simulators will enhance safety decision-making skills for the crew during realistic mission scenarios, in a cost-effective and timely manner.
MDA vice-president responsible for this business Don Osborne said: "In-service support and training systems were identified in the Jenkins report as key industrial capabilities for Canada, and MDA, as a Canadian company, is proud to provide this service to DND."
The Royal Canadian Navy previously purchased four diesel-electric powered long-range patrol submarines from the UK.
The Victoria-class submarines are armed with a Lockheed Martin Librascope Torpedo Fire Control System (TFCS) to meet the operational requirements of the Canadian Navy.
Capable of accommodating a crew of 48, 70.3m long and 7.6m wide, they have a patrol endurance of 56 days and are powered by a diesel electric propulsion system driving a single shaft, based on two Paxman Valenta 16SZ diesel engines.
The navigation suites include a global positioning system, a Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 and a Foruno portable navigation radar, which both operate within the I-band frequency range.
Image: The Canadian Navy’s Victoria-class submarine, HMCS Corner Brook (SSK 878, stationed at a base. Photo: US Navy photo by mass communication specialist 1st class Steven Myers/Released.
