South Korea’s latest effort to be Canada’s next submarine maker has emerged in Victoria, showcasing what could be developed if the country is selected as a successful bidder.
Two warships, originally from Jinhae Naval Base in South Korea, arrived after a two-month voyage with the ROKS Dosan Ahn Changhosubmarine and the ROKS Daejeon submarine on Saturday.
Admiral David Patchell, commander of Naval Forces Pacific and Combined Joint Task Force Pacific, said he was “extremely grateful” that the South Koreans made their way to Victoria.
“It’s exciting about the Royal Canadian Navy that we’re building,” he said. “We’re about to buy new submarines. We’re building new destroyers, new supply ships… We’re building the navy Canada needs to defend our three oceans.”
Canada has received two bids for a contract to build new submarines: one from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, which built the two ships seen in Victoria.
Over the past few months, Hanwha ads promoting its KSS-III submarine have been popping up everywhere including YouTube ads, billboards and other promotional materials as the company tries to make itself a household name in Ottawa.
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The South Korean company also said it will manufacture its military vehicles in Canada in partnership with the local automotive sector, including mobile howitzers, missile launch systems and infantry vehicles. But this depends on them being the winning bidder.
“As you know, there is an investment case that aligns with this that the Canadian government has asked for,” said Glenn Copeland, CEO of Hanwha Canada. “But certainly what we have heard loud and clear is to deliver the first four submarines as quickly as possible without any modifications to the batch as well.”
The KSS-III that arrived in Victoria is the type that will be delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy, with an arrival date of 2032.
Patchell said Canada hopes to acquire 12 submarines, which would make the country an “underwater nation.”
TKMS is not commenting on aspects of the offer while the government evaluates it, spokesman Niels Baer said in April, but he said the strength of the overall strategy lay in the “depth of government-backed engagement” backing it.
This includes targeted investment mechanisms, strategic infrastructure support, and financial frameworks that enable long-term implementation, Bayer said.
The German product’s offer is backed by the governments of Germany and Norway, which are selling it to Canadian officials as more than just a partnership with NATO allies.
The subsidiary manufacturer has also long sought to include Canadian companies in its supply chain and potential bid. TKMS has established partnerships with Bombardier and Lockheed Martin Canada, Bayer noted.
Both companies were told to expect a decision in June, paving the way for delivery in 2032.
“I needed them yesterday,” Patchell said. “Canada needs a navy. We’re the largest navy, the longest coastline in the world, 244,000 kilometers across three oceans. So we need a navy, we’ve always needed a navy, and we’ve always needed submarines.”
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