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River-class destroyer (Canadian surface combatant)

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A warship at sea

The design of the future River-class destroyer will be based on BAE Systems’ Type 26 warship

Overview

The River-class Destroyer (RCD) Project, formerly known as the Canadian surface combatant project, is the largest and most complex shipbuilding initiative in Canada since World War II. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) chose the River-class name to reflect the uniting and critical natural force of rivers, and their role as an agent of our Canadian landscape, economy, food supply and culture. This name also pays tribute to the honourable and distinguished service of Canada’s past River-class ships and their ships’ companies.

The RCD Project is being delivered under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). It will replace both the retired Iroquois-class destroyers and the Halifax-class multi-role patrol frigates with a single class of ship capable of meeting multiple threats on both the open ocean and the highly complex coastal environment. This project will equip the RCN with 15 new state-of-the-art warships to bolster Canada’s naval capabilities at home and abroad, for decades to come.

The RCD ships will be able to conduct a broad range of tasks, in various scenarios, including:

The RCD Project supports National Defence’s delivery of Canada’s defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence.

Project at a glance

Shipyard
Irving Shipbuilding Inc. (ISI) (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Project status
Design/Build phase
Number of ships to be built
15
Initial contract value for build and delivery cost of batch 1 (ships 1 to 3)
$8.0 billion (taxes included)
First ship delivery
Early 2030s

Current status

The Government of Canada has awarded the implementation contract for the RCD Project to ISI. The implementation contract outlines the terms, conditions and requirements for constructing the first batch of 3 RCD ships.

Construction activities began in 2024 as part of the Production Test Module (PTM) under the definition contract and remain ongoing. The PTM enables the shipyard to develop and test project-specific build processes, establish new supply chains and drive cost efficiencies by applying lessons learned, ensuring a more streamlined approach before the start of full-rate production.

As ship design progresses in parallel with the start of ship construction, Canada’s definition contract and implementation contract with ISI will be open concurrently for a period of time. The design team from Lockheed Martin Canada (LMC) was competitively selected to provide the RCD design, which is based on BAE Systems’ Type 26 frigate. The design team, along with ISI, continues to develop the final design for the RCD.

The year ahead

Economic benefits

The RCD definition contract is estimated to contribute close to $430 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) and create or maintain over 3,755 jobs annually over the 2019-2027 period (directly and indirectly). In addition, the associated consumer spending by employees is estimated to contribute close to $144.5 million annually in additional GDP and over 1,325 additional jobs annually to the Canadian economy.

The RCD implementation contract is estimated to contribute $719.3 million annually to Canada’s GDP and create or maintain 5,250 jobs annually over the 2025-2039 period (directly and indirectly). In addition, the consumer spending by associated employees is estimated to contribute $191 million annually in additional GDP and 1,545 additional jobs annually to the Canadian economy.

The RCD Project is also delivering on other important NSS priorities, such as providing social and economic benefits for Canada through its Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy.

Progress of the project

News

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