323 Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship (PMO AOPS)

Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship (PMO AOPS)

The Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) Project has been established in order to deliver to the Government of Canada a naval ice-capable offshore patrol ship to assert and enforce sovereignty in Canada's waters including the Arctic.

Project Deliverables

The AOPS Project will deliver to the Canadian Forces six to eight fully supported Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships capable of:

  • conducting armed sea-borne surveillance of Canada's waters, including the Arctic;
  • providing government situational awareness of activities and events in these regions; and
  • cooperating with other elements of the Canadian Forces and other federal government departments to assert and enforce Canadian sovereignty, when and where necessary.

Proposed Ship Capabilities

The following high-level draft requirements are presented as an indication of the capabilities required of the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship. These requirements will be studied and refined during Project Definition. The Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) will have the following capabilities:

  • The ships will have sufficient flexibility to operate independently and effectively in Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including such diverse environments as the Canadian Arctic, the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and off the Northwest coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The ships would also be capable of navigating the St-Lawrence River on a year-round basis and berthing in Quebec City;
  • They will be able to operate year-round in medium first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions as well as the open ocean areas in the Atlantic and Pacific Canadian EEZ;
  • They will have an ice capability exclusively for their own mobility and not to provide icebreaking services to others;
  • They will be able to sustain operations for up to four months;
  • They will have a range of at least six thousand eight hundred nautical miles;
  • They will have sufficient organic situation 1ff9 al awareness to ensure safety of navigation and flight;
  • They will have a sufficient command, control and communication (C3) capability to provide and receive real-time information to/from the Canadian Forces' Common Operating Picture (COP);
  • They will have a cruise speed of at least 14 knots and a maximum speed of at least 17 knots;
  • They will have a gun armament; and
  • They will remain operational for 25 years beyond Initial Operational Capability (IOC).

Additionally, the AOPS may be required to be capable of embarking and operating, in up to sea state three, an on-board organic helicopter, up to and including a CH 148 Cyclone, with one flying and one maintenance crew.

Procurement Strategy

  1. Project Definition: The Project Definition phase involves the creation of an Integrated Project Team (IPT) made up of personnel from DND, Public Works and Government Services Canada, and Industry Canada, and supported by a Definition, Engineering, Logistics and Management Support (DELMS) contractor. The DELMS contractor, engaged through a competitive process, will develop an illustrative design of the AOPS and use this to assist the project staff in refining the ship specification and Statement of Work (SOW) to be used for the Project Implementation Request for Proposal (RFP). Irving Shipbuilding Inc., selected by the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS), will be contracted to complete the design and develop the production drawings.
  2. Project Implementation: The Project Implementation phase will commence with the award of the build contract to the NSPS selected shipyard, Irving Shipbuilding Inc.
  3. In-Service Support: The 25-year In-Service Support contract will be competed separately after the AOPS implementation contract is awarded.

The Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) Policy will be a mandatory element of the AOPS Project. The IRB Policy is administered by Industry Canada and all IRB requirements are determined by Industry Canada with assistance from the Regional Development Agencies. The selected Project Implementation contractor will be required to provide IRBs equivalent to 100% of the values of the acquisition contract and the long-term in-service support contract.

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