How Canada is preparing the future River-class destroyers to endure uncrewed threats
Rendering of a River-class vessel. (Photo: Irving Shipbuilding Inc)
Designed in 2019, Canada’s new River-class destroyers are planned to be handed over by the 2050s. The long procurement timeline has cast doubt on whether the platforms will be obsolete for tomorrow’s warfare.
The long-term schedule of the Canadian River-class destroyer (RCD) programme and the growing proliferation of aerial, surface and underwater uncrewed systems in maritime theatres have raised questions about whether the future RCDs will be capable of facing autonomous platform attacks.
With an acquisition goal of 15 ships, this procurement effort started in 2016 and a design was selected in 2019. To date, three vessels are under contract. The first one, HMCS Fraser, is being built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc (ISI) and is scheduled for delivery from 2032.
An official spokesperson for the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) told
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Germany’s F126 delays open the door for Rheinmetall’s naval ambitions]()
Germany’s F126 delays open the door for Rheinmetall’s naval ambitions
Germany’s F126 frigate crisis has handed Rheinmetall an opening it had been working towards for years, and the company intends to make the most of it.
-
![SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
![SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort]()
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.
