The Canadian government has confirmed that the Canadian Surface Combatant program is not at “very high risk”.
Reacting to media reports about the CSC program being in trouble, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces released a statement repudiating such claims.
The statement underscores that the project is currently in the definition phase. This phase includes examining issues such as cost, schedule and requirements, and identifying any risks early so that they can be mitigated.
The program will renew the Royal Canadian Navy surface combat fleet by replacing the capabilities provided by the destroyers (Iroquois-class) and the multi-role patrol frigates (Halifax-class).
Through the design-then-build approach, the ship designs will be reviewed, refined and matured to get all of the production details right, and to factor in potential risks and finalize costs and schedule.
At this stage of a project, it is not unusual for some risks to be assessed as high. This may change over time as the project plan develops.
Image: Canadian Navy