Warship design requests slightly delayed, coming out next month:defence official
HALIFAX — A senior official with the Canadian Forces says there’s been a slight delay in issuing a complex request to industry for an off-the-shelf design of the country’s next generation of warships.
Pat Finn, the assistant deputy minister of materiel, said Thursday the request for proposals for the Canadian surface combatant vessels — originally expected to be issued this month — will now be going out before mid-October to allow bidders a last chance to make suggestions on the design criteria.
Finn said during an interview at a conference in Halifax that Defence is working with the prime contractor, Irving Shipbuilding, to produce over 1,500 pages of specifications for the Royal Canadian Navy ships.
The warships will replace the Halifax class frigates and Iroquois class destroyers and may still be steaming off Canadian waters by 2070, said the former navy admiral.