River-class Destroyer Project
Project summary
The River-class Destroyer (RCD) project is part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, and is the largest and most complex shipbuilding initiative in Canada. With its effective warfare capability and versatility, these ships will be Canada’s major surface component of maritime combat power. Rapidly deployable, the RCD ships can work independently or as part of a Canadian or international coalition for long periods of time anywhere in the world with a limited logistic footprint.
Canada has committed to investing in 15 River-class Destroyer (RCD) ships to ensure that the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is well equipped with the modern ships it needs to support current and future operations.
The RCD will be able to conduct a broad range of tasks, including:
- delivering decisive combat power at sea;
- supporting the Canadian Armed Forces and Canada’s Allies ashore;
- conducting counter-piracy, counterterrorism, interdiction and embargo operations for medium intensity operations; and
- delivering humanitarian aid, search and rescue, law and sovereignty enforcement for regional engagements.
This project will also help revitalize the Canadian shipbuilding industry, sustaining and creating thousands of high-skill, well-paying middle-class jobs across Canada during construction and while supporting the ships domestically when in service.
The 15 RCD ships will replace both the retired Iroquois-class Destroyers and the Halifax-class frigates. Initially at an estimated cost of $56-60 billion, the cost of the full project is under review. The cost of the first three ships is estimated at $22.2B (excluding taxes) including building, delivering and providing all associated training, operations and maintenance documentation, spare parts, ammunition, Government supplied material, and related project management expenses. Having spare parts on hand for repairs and maintenance both onboard the ship and in shore-based facilities ensures the operational availability of the ships.
Under the Implementation Contract with Irving Shipbuilding Inc., Canada will acquire the first batch of three completed ships, along with additional systems that will support the eventual construction of Batch 2 ships.
Project phases
Currently in Phase 4. Implementation
1. Identification
1. Identification
- Completed through the National Shipbuilding Strategy
2. Options analysis
2. Options analysis
- Completed through the National Shipbuilding Strategy
3. Definition
3. Definition
- Phase 1 approval: June 19, 2012
- Phase 1 revised: December 11, 2014
- Request for proposals launch: October 27, 2016
- Project approval for phase 2A – Initial Design Review: June 8, 2017
- Request for proposal close: November 30, 2017
- Selection of the warship design and design team and contract award of Definition Contract: February 7, 2019
- Revised project approval for design and production engineering: May 30, 2019
- Revised Project Approval (Definition Phase 2 - Design & Production Engineering): March 16, 2021
- Revised Project Approval (Definition Phase 2 - Design & Production Engineering): December 13, 2022
- Start of construction of Production Test Module: June 28, 2024
4. Implementation
4. Implementation
- Start of Implementation project approval: February 2025
- Construction contract award: March 3, 2025
- Start of Full-Rate Production: April 25, 2025
- First delivery: Early 2030s
- Final delivery: by 2050
5. Close-out
5. Close-out
- Late 2040s
* We are working closely with our industry partners to find efficiencies and accelerate estimated design and build schedule timelines.
Learn more about the Defence procurement process.
Additional information
Project updates
Project updates
April 2025
Full-Rate Production on the first River-class Destroyer (RCD) ship began on April 25, 2025.
March 2025
Contract awarded to ISI for the construction of the RCD on March 3, 2025. This contract for Batch 1 RCD ships supports the construction and delivery of the initial three ships as well as the development and delivery of necessary training, spares and maintenance products required to operate and support the ships in service.
June 2024
Project name changed from Canadian Surface Combatant Project to River-class Destroyer Project.
June 2024
Start of construction on the Production Test Module.
December 2022
The Preliminary Design Review Exit was completed in December 2022 and has progressed through the Functional Design phase. Within Functional Design, an Initial Critical Design Review was conducted in April 2024 and Final Critical Design Review is forecasted for 2026. The Final Design Review and design completion is forecasted for 2028. This design work progress has supported reaching the milestone of Full-Rate Production on Batch 1 ships in April 2025.
November 2019
The requirements reconciliation phase of design work was substantially completed, and preliminary design work began.
February 8, 2019
The Government of Canada announced the selection of Lockheed Martin Canada for the design and design team for the Canadian Surface Combatants. Irving Shipbuilding Inc., the project’s prime contractor, awarded a sub-contract to Lockheed Martin Canada for work to finalize the design. The winning bid is based on the BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
October 19, 2018
The Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. have identified Lockheed Martin Canada, Inc. as the preferred bidder to provide the design and design team for the Royal Canadian Navy’s future Canadian Surface Combatants.
December 4, 2017
The bid evaluation process commenced.
November 30, 2017
The Definition Subcontract Request for Proposal (RFP) closes, beginning the evaluation process that will select an existing warship design for the new surface combatants. The design will be revised and evolved to meet RCN’s requirements and will incorporate Canadian systems and equipment.
November 10, 2017
An additional extension was announced stating the RFP will close on November 30, 2017.
September 20, 2017
Eligible bidders were informed the RFP will close on November 17, 2017.
September 1, 2017
Re-baseline dates were approved at the Executive Government Committee.
June 19, 2017
The Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. began a voluntary compliance review of the draft bids submitted by the bidders, in accordance with the CSC Definition Subcontract RFP.
June 7, 2017
Canada’s new Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, was released, citing the procurement of 15 Canadian Surface Combatants with an updated overall project budget.
June 5, 2017
A second extension was granted, and the deadline for bid submissions was communicated to be “no sooner than mid-August 2017”.
March 17, 2017
Re-baseline dates were approved at the CSC Senior Review Board.
February 16, 2017
At the request of the 12 eligible bidders, the Government and Irving Shipbuilding extended the bid submission deadline by eight weeks, and the RFP was to close on June 22, 2017.
October 27, 2016
The final documents for the Definition Subcontract RFP were issued by Irving Shipbuilding to select the CSC Design Subcontractor. A robust question-and-answer process followed the RFP release and is ongoing.
August 30, 2016
The re-qualification period closed and yielded the same list of pre-qualified companies.
June 13, 2016
The Government announced a refined procurement approach to simplify the procurement process, reduce design risks and potentially allow construction to begin sooner. This new approach maintains all of the project objectives and continues to leverage meaningful economic opportunities for the Canadian marine sector.
Between May and the end of August 2016
The Government held four separate industry engagement sessions with pre-qualified bidders to solicit industry feedback on the CSC in the following areas:
- The draft high-level systems requirements for the CSC.
- The Definition Subcontract Request for Proposal (RFP) and Value Proposition. Discussions revolved around industry’s plan to undertake work and invest in Canada that will need to be evaluated as part of their bid proposals. Price and technical considerations were also discussed.
- The Combat Management Systems Software Support Contract (CMS SSC) and its inclusion of this item into the Definition Subcontract RFP were discussed. Industry feedback was sought on this topic because the selected supplier of the combat systems will also be required to provide CMS software support services to Canada.
April 1, 2016
The Government released a Request for Information to collect industry advice on how to best support opportunities for Canadian equipment manufacturers and suppliers over the life of the project.
February 2016
The Government held four industry engagement days to brief industry on the potential refinement of the procurement approach and to solicit industry feedback.
January 2016
The first phase of an Initial Reconciliation of Requirements, a cost to capabilities trade-offs assessment to find the right balance for the Navy, was completed. It is a key example of how the Government is working with industry to balance the costs to capabilities trade-offs for the CSC. Such trade-offs will continue as the design process is implemented.
The Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisitions was briefed.
November 18, 2015
The list of companies selected under the pre-qualification process for the Canadian Surface Combatant was released.
Summer and Fall 2015
The Government took the opportunity to further assess a potentially more streamlined procurement approach for the CSC warships.
June 2015
The Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) completed an internal audit of the Canadian Surface Combatant project to assess the adequacy of the governance processes and management.
May 2015
The Government announced the selected procurement strategy to build the CSC. The approved procurement strategy consisted of a competitive sourcing approach that would have led to the selection of a single Combat System Integrator and a single Warship Designer who would have subsequently worked with Irving Shipbuilding and the Government to design, develop, integrate and deliver the combatant ships.
January 2015
Industry was informed that Irving Shipbuilding Inc. would be the prime contractor for both the project definition and implementation phases.
From 2013 to 2016
A series of industry engagements were held to solicit industry input on Canada’s proposed requirements and procurement strategy.
February 2012
The Government reached agreements with Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. This charted the course for construction of Canada’s combat and non-combat surface fleets under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
The strategic sourcing arrangements, called umbrella agreements, between the Government and each of the selected shipyards have been signed. Individual ship construction contracts will now be negotiated with the respective shipyards.
October 19, 2011
As part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the combat vessel work package includes the Canadian Surface Combatant ships.
Industry
Industry
Economic Benefits
The RCD definition contract is estimated to contribute close to $430 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) and create or maintain over 3,755 jobs annually over the 2019-2027 period (directly and indirectly). In addition, the associated consumer spending by employees is estimated to contribute close to $144.5 million annually in additional GDP and over 1,325 additional jobs annually to the Canadian economy.
Additionally, the RCD Implementation contract is estimated to contribute $719.3 million annually to Canada’s GDP and create or maintain 5,250 jobs annually over the 2025-2039 period (directly and indirectly). In addition, the consumer spending by associated employees is estimated to contribute $191 million annually in additional GDP and 1,545 additional jobs annually to the Canadian economy.
The RCD Project is also delivering on other important NSS priorities, such as providing social and economic benefits for Canada through its Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy.
Contractors
The link below leads to a website that is not part of the Government of Canada and is available in English only.
ISI was selected to build these ships through the National Shipbuilding Strategy. ISI has been awarded an Implementation Contract for the construction of Batch 1 ships and has, in turn, awarded various sub-contracts, including to 3 main subcontractors: BAE Systems, LMC and Fleetway.
Technical information
Technical information
The RCD is using a zonal approach to support design and construction. This approach will allow construction to start on certain sections of the ship that are in the advanced stages of design, such as the hull and platform systems, while design work on the more complex sections of the ship continues in parallel, helping to maintain production schedules.
Mature elements of the ship design are moving into Detailed Design. This allows the design progress to support the start of construction on mature parts of the ship design, while design of the more complex portions of the ship continues to progress in parallel to the start of construction. This will enable the project to achieve delivery of the first RCD ship in the early 2030s.
Project costs
Project costs
The acquisition for 15 ships to replace Canada’s destroyers was budgeted between $56-60 billion, however, the cost of the full initiative is under review.
The build and delivery of the first batch of 3 RCD ships (including materiel and labour), initial spares, training, maintenance and logistics support products required to support the ships in service, ammunition and contractor fees associated with ship build and delivery is estimated at $22.2 Billion.
This includes the costs of Canada’s Implementation Contract with ISI as well as costs associated with the delivery of equipment, systems and ammunition for which Canada is responsible to deliver as well as Government Supplied Materiel, procured by Canada either through the US Foreign Military Sales Program (in the case of the Aegis Combat System) or through other contracts directly with equipment suppliers.
As of March 2025, multiple contracts have been awarded to Irving Shipbuilding Inc. for a total of $12.87 billion (excluding taxes) to support the options analysis and design phases, including an Implementation Contract for the construction of Batch 1 ships at an initial value of $8 billion including taxes. These contracts span several years, and as of June 2025, we have spent approximately $4.92 billion of the contract values.
Issues/risks
Issues/risks
The project schedule is continually reviewed and updated. Design and build schedule estimates are being critically examined for possible reduction as the ship design progresses and construction starts. Like any large-scale procurement project, the project schedule will remain under close review and updates will be shared once available. Canada continues to work closely with our industry partners to find efficiencies and accelerate delivery timelines.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
In support of the new RCD ships, the Department of National Defence is building and modifying government of Canada infrastructure that includes jetties, warehousing, ammunition depots, ranges, maintenance, testing and training facilities.
Naval infrastructure has been removed from the direct scope of the RCD project. Instead, associated infrastructure required to support the delivery and life cycle of the RCD ships will now be treated as part of a broader modernization of naval infrastructure as other marine capabilities are considered.
Land-Based Test Facility (LBTF)
To help bring the new RCD ships into service and support them throughout their lifecycle, DND is building a Land-Based Test Facility (LBTF) on a portion of DND-owned land at Hartlen Point in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia.
This infrastructure will test and integrate the ships’ capabilities, including electronic, radio and radar systems, before being installed on the actual vessels. The LBTF is critical to ensuring the new ships are sea-ready to support members of the Canadian Armed Forces as they protect the sovereignty and security of Canadian waters and contribute to international operations on behalf of all Canadians. No weapons systems or weapons will be tested or housed at this facility.
In June 2021, a Request for Proposal was issued for project support and initial design consultant work of the LBTF. In September 2021, a modified design-build contract was awarded to begin project development and design work on the LBTF. Design work to determine the building’s specifications is currently underway/complete, with construction scheduled, and set to finish early 2028. Timing is subject to change based on the progress of the construction processes.
To maintain project timelines while the facility design progresses, site preparation work consisting of brush clearing, the installation of a new access road, and the extension of municipal services took place between March and April 2023.
The second phase of site preparation began in April 2023 and is currently ongoing. This phase includes laying gravel for roadway access, grading the site, extending municipal services by connecting to Halifax Water, and installing culverts. Additional work is scheduled for completion by Summer 2025, including the ongoing civil package, which involves excavation and backfilling ahead of foundation work. Construction of a water meter building is also planned. In Winter 2025, the concrete package commenced, covering concrete footings, foundations, retaining walls, and elevator/stair shafts. This will be followed by the installation of structural steel for the building.