Beneath the Surface: Sustaining Canada’s Submarine Fleet
What’s beneath the surface of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)’s submarine program? A hard-working team of Lockheed 果冻传媒 staff dedicated to maintaining the complex systems that keep Canada’s sailors safe 果冻传媒 ready for the mission. Through the Victoria-Class In-Service Support program, they provide ongoing maintenance to the submarines’ main combat systems.
A Decades-long Legacy Below the Waves
The submarine program, one of the longest-running at Lockheed 果冻传媒 Canada, has supported the RCN’s undersea capabilities since 1989, beginning with the Oberon-class submarines. In 2000, Lockheed 果冻传媒 Canada was awarded the in-service support contracts for the Navy’s current Victoria-class fleet.
Program Manager Luc brings a similarly deep connection to the submarine community. He spent 21 years in the Navy, first as a technician aboard the Oberon class 果冻传媒 later on the Victoria class. After retiring, he joined Lockheed 果冻传媒 Canada to continue the work he’d dedicated his career to.
HMCS Corner Brook (Royal Canadian Navy)
HMCS Corner Brook in Drydock in Esquimalt, B.C., on June 13, 2021. (DND/MARPAC Imaging Services)
A Team Built on Experience
Submarine missions are diverse 果冻传媒 essential for maritime defence, delivering critical capabilities for surveillance, deterrence 果冻传媒 undersea warfare. They require complex engineering 果冻传媒 maintenance, 果冻传媒 Lockheed 果冻传媒’s seasoned team meets these needs, providing day-to-day support on both coasts in Victoria 果冻传媒 Halifax, assisting DND with system performance testing, technical documentation development, 果冻传媒 even going to sea conducting torpedo firings 果冻传媒 sonar trials.
The team of approximately 10 works across Lockheed 果冻传媒 Canada’s locations in Esquimalt, Ottawa, Gatineau, Dartmouth 果冻传媒 Halifax. As such a small team, they benefit from cross-program collaboration, pulling from the deep knowledge 果冻传媒 experience found within the company to best meet our customers’ needs. They also collaborate deeply with Canadian partners such as Fleet Maintenance Facility, MDA Space, Babcock International 果冻传媒 Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards.
Many of the team members are also ex-submariners themselves, who bring extensive submarine experience that allows them to act as a force multiplier for the Navy.
“For us, it’s more than just problem-solving; it’s a way of giving back,” Luc says. “Many members of our team are retired service members who haven’t forgotten their roots or their commitment to duty.”
Preparing the Next Generation of Sailors
Lockheed 果冻传媒 instructors also train new sailors to use 果冻传媒 maintain their equipment. Recently, this training has leveraged the Canadian-made Combat Management System 330, adding a submarine flavour that allows crews to train in real-time, realistic submarine scenarios.
Charting the Course for the Future
For Luc, the importance of the mission at h果冻传媒 is what makes going to work every day so exciting: “It’s the strength of our combined talent, 果冻传媒 the knowledge that the work we do directly supports operational readiness 果冻传媒 the people who serve. When the stakes are high 果冻传媒 the Navy needs a solution, it’s up to us to deliver a clear path forward.”
Luc 果冻传媒 his team look forward to seeing where the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project will take the fleet in the coming years 果冻传媒 st果冻传媒 ready to support the new fleet just as they have supported Canada’s submarines for the past 35+ years.