Lets Talk a little bit more about TKMS proposal again
It seems like I will never escape talking about submarines. Not only do we have the first KSS-III Batch II launching today, but we also have new information coming out about this week’s trip by the German and Norwegian Ministers of Defence.
This visit is part of an ongoing promotional tour by several key ministers and officials from both the German and Norwegian governments, aiming to entice Canada towards selecting the Type 212CD for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.
As many of you will know from our last TKMS post, Team GERNOR has finally started giving some details on what exactly they’re thinking when it comes to proposals.
For those who follow me, you’ll know that I have previously criticized Team GERNOR for how they’ve handled information. One of my big issues has been the disconnect between TKMS and the German and Norwegian governments regarding expectations.
I was also critical of both governments’ seeming inability to get heavily involved in the competition until now. At first glance, those two criticisms seem to conflict with each other.
The issue was that both sides were saying different things, sometimes contradicting each other. This time, though, there seems to be a clearer division in roles and a better sense of what kind of discussions both should be having.
Case in point, there is thankfully little focus on the submarines themselves this time. Where they are mentioned, officials finally seem to be aligning with TKMS. Instead, the focus is on what the respective governments can offer to sweeten the partnership.
That’s something I can be happy about. It’s exactly the direction they needed to head in. I won’t be reposting the article here — you can read it on their site — but I do want to make a few points.
The first and most notable mentions relate to the German acquisition of Canadian equipment, primarily CMS330 and Globals from Bombardier.
Both of these take a prominent place in the talks, with the Germans actively mentioning their acquisition of CMS330 and mulling the purchase of up to 18 Globals as part of a wider order.
Both of these aren’t new developments, despite what many sources are saying. These are ongoing deals that have been in the works for a while. The German Navy has already been heavily favoring CMS330 for its future F127 frigates, operating in tandem with AEGIS similar to our future River-class.
The German Navy has also been considering adopting CMS330 for several in-service platforms. The navy currently lacks a standardized Combat Management System, and while I can’t tell you the exact number, there are several different systems in use.
The desire to standardize on a single Combat Management System has apparently existed for some time, with CMS330’s open architecture and ease of integration being seen as highly attractive.
Minister Pistorius met with Lockheed Martin Canada yesterday to discuss this further, although Lockheed has not yet commented to me about the meeting. We do know it happened though.
Similarly, Germany is already planning to acquire several Global-based platforms over the next few years. The Bundeswehr is set to acquire three Hensoldt PEGASUS aircraft based on the Global 6500, with plans for more in the future. Those are expected to enter service starting next year.
This isn’t meant as criticism. These are things that should be highlighted. I just want to push back against publications treating these as brand-new developments when these plans have been on the table for a while.
I do find it a bit funny that both sides are actively promoting orders to Bombardier as incentives. For those who missed it, the ROKAF recently selected another Global-based AEW aircraft in the L3 Phoenix.
Other areas of cooperation include the usuals — raw materials, hydropower, and liquefied natural gas. We don’t get many details there. We also don’t hear much from the Norwegian side, despite the clear advertising advantage of Canada and Norway sharing the future Type 26 frigate design.
It seems natural to highlight that the RCN, through the Berlin-based Protecteurs and the Type 26, is already sharing a lot of commonality with Team GERNOR. I’m sure it’s been mentioned in private, but the lack of public mention feels like an odd miss.
Either way, I thought these were interesting points to bring up, and I wanted to get some proper clarification out there before it all gets lost in the noise.
I agree, an odd miss. We will share many platforms with the Norwegians especially if we go with the 212cd as they have the p-8 as well. I think Halifax as a tier 1 maintenance & weapons hub for these subs could offer them
both advantages as well, crewing agreements, weapons development etc. what did you think about the production commitments? 3-4 a year by 2028? Does that sound plausible? Any talk about the CMS 330 being used on the 212cd?
Geopolitically, I think 6 + 6 to Kor + Ger is the best bet. Then add 3 to one depending on the future environment.
Also both present varied MIL benefits.
We have today 4 of the same class.
Frankly we need to step it up. I mean many global MNC’s work with multiple suppliers for the same mission. Not sure why the CAF are acting like kinder’s.
They are like OPS in corp. always someone else to blame. Vs owning the mission.