Federal government set to launch competition for Canada’s next warship design
OTTAWA — The federal government is poised to fire the starting gun on the long-awaited, multibillion-dollar race to design and build the navy’s newest warships.
The competition, which involves 12 of the largest defence and shipbuilding companies in the world, is expected to be launched on Thursday after years of debate, delays and hand-wringing.
Companies will be given six months to submit designs for a new warship which will replace the navy’s 12 frigates and its three recently retired destroyers.
The winning design, pegged by one source as worth upwards of $10 billion out of a project that’s expected to cost between $26 billion and $40 billion, will be built by Irving Shipyards in Halifax, with the first ship scheduled to hit the water in 2024.