Canada Selects German Firm to Build 12 Attack Boats for Royal Canadian Navy
Canada announced this week that it will purchase up to 12 attack boats from Germany following an intense bidding competition between Seoul and Berlin for the next-generation of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) submarines. “This will be the largest defense procurement in Canadian history, and it will equip the RCN with the capabilities they need to keep Canadians safe,” reads a release about the contest from Prime Minister Mark Carney. Ottawa on Monday chose German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ (TKMS) Type 212 CD as the preferred supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, beating out South Korean firm Hanwha Ocean’s KSS-III
Rendering of the German Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ (TKMS) Type 212 CD. Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Photo. Canada announced this week that it will purchase up to 12 attack boats from Germany following an intense bidding competition between Seoul and Berlin for the next-generation of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) submarines.
“This will be the largest defense procurement in Canadian history, and it will equip the RCN with the capabilities they need to keep Canadians safe,” reads a release about the contest from Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Ottawa on Monday chose German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ (TKMS) Type 212 CD as the preferred supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, beating out South Korean firm Hanwha Ocean’s KSS-III CPS. The two designs represent the most modern undersea combat capabilities that the two nations can develop. Both classes are in the process of entering frontline service within their respective host nations in the coming years.
Kickstarted in 2024, the program aims to modernize and expand Ottawa’s submarine fleet, which is currently composed of four aging Cold War-era Victoria-class attack boats previously operated by the U.K. Royal Navy. Carney’s office said only one of the submarines remains seaworthy. In comparison, the patrol submarine project seeks to deliver up to 12 attack boats – tripling the current fleet – and develop the Canadian defense industrial base to support the future class.
According to the Canadian government’s timetable, the finalization of TKMS’ contract for the project should be completed by 2027. The RCN wants to have the first four Type 212 CDs ready for delivery by 2034. However, if negotiations are unsuccessful, Ottawa said it could choose Hanwha Ocean over TKMS.
The Republic of Korea Navy’s ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-083) arrived May 24, 2026, in Victoria, Canada. Republic of Korea Navy photo Future RCN patrol submarines are expected to fulfill a larger mission load to counter more expansive threats.
“The assumptions that shaped decades of Canadian defense and security are being upended,” reads the Prime Minister office release. “Climate change is causing our Arctic region to warm nearly three times faster than the global average – a shift that adversaries are actively looking to exploit. In this increasingly dangerous and divided world, Canada must be prepared to defend ourselves and our allies.”
Aside from its traditional commitments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Ottawa has increasingly eyed challenges that may arise from the Arctic and its presence in the Western Pacific. Carney’s office highlighted how the selection of the Type 212 CD enhanced its interoperability with German and Norwegian navies, which will also field the attack boat class.
In response to the Canadian government’s selection, Hanwha Ocean said that its bidding efforts “were not able to overcome the barrier posed by the NATO alliance.” To support its bid for the Canadian attack submarine program, the South Korean defense firm included armoured vehicle and artillery production that could boost other sectors of Canada’s defense industrial base.
South Korea also deployed the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-083) in May to the RCN’s Pacific Fleet base ahead of the program’s decision to showcase the capabilities of the KSS-III design. The distance sailed from Busan to Victoria was the furthest voyage of a Republic of Korea Navy submarine to date.
