A contract has been signed between BAE Systems and Canada’s Irving Shipbuilding Inc (ISI), marking the start of the next major phase of the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) River-class destroyer programme, BAE Systems announced on 17 March 2025.
The contract follows the Canadian government’s award of an implementation contract to ISI for the construction and delivery of the first three of 15 planned River-class ships as well as the development and delivery of training, spares and maintenance to support the ships in service.
The River-class destroyer programme is the largest and most complex shipbuilding effort undertaken in Canada since the Second World War. Previously known as the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme, the project will replace the RCN’s four Iroquois-class destroyers, which were decommissioned between 2005 and 2017, and 12 Halifax-class frigates, which are currently still in service. A bid based on BAE Systems’ Type 26 Global Combat Ship was selected as the preferred design for the CSC programme in October 2018 and the Canadian government signed a CAD 60 billion contract with BAE Systems and its team on 8 February 2019.
Delivery of the first River-class destroyer is scheduled for the early 2030s.
According to BAE Systems, the River class “will provide decisive combat power for operations at sea and in support of joint-force operations ashore. The River class will also support missions conducted including counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, intelligence and surveillance, humanitarian assistance, research and rescue”.
BAE Systems has designed the River-class destroyer to meet the RCN’s specific requirements and under this new contract will provide support and consultancy services throughout the build phase. This will ensure that ISI benefits from the expertise and learning gained across the UK’s Type 26- and Australia’s Hunter-class programmes (the Hunter class is also based on the Type 26).
“This contract marks a significant moment for the River-class destroyer programme and I’m hugely proud of our team for their collective hard work and determination to bring us to this point,” Anderson Smith, international programmes director at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “As we move into this next phase, our expertise and collaboration with our industry partners will be key to delivering a world-class capability for Canada. Our team will play a crucial role ensuring the successful delivery of the first batch of three ships and we’re looking forward to the journey ahead.”
“This is a major milestone for Irving Shipbuilding and for Canada,” added ISI President Dirk Lesko. “This contract validates more than a decade of hard work by industry and government and provides stability for the hard-working men and women who design, build and maintain Canada’s surface fleet.”
The combined UK, Australian and Canadian Type 26-based programmes add up to a potential worldwide 29-ship fleet, BAE Systems noted in its press release.
