Canada’s defence policy, “Strong, Secure, Engaged” (SSE), has committed to investing in 15 Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ships. These ships will be Canada’s major surface component of maritime combat power. With its effective warfare capability and versatility, it can be deployed rapidly anywhere in the world, either independently or as part of a Canadian or international coalition. The CSC will be able to deploy for many months with a limited logistic footprint.The CSC 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, counter-terrorism, interdiction and embargo operations for medium intensity operations; andDelivering humanitarian aid, search and rescue, law and sovereignty enforcement for regional engagements.The acquisition is for 15 ships to replace both the retired Iroquois-class Destroyers and the Halifax-class frigates. The construction of the first CSC vessel is expected to begin in 2023/2024.As a core capability of this class of ship, the CSC will have the capability to embark the CH-148 helicopter. To achieve this, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) developed a prototype Flight Deck Motion System (FDMS) that is now required for safe operations of the aircraft from the flight deck while at sea.
