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 Martin staff dedicated to maintaining the complex systems that keep Canada’s sailors safe and 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 Martin Canada, has supported the RCN’s undersea capabilities since 1989, beginning with the Oberon-class submarines. In 2000, Lockheed Martin 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 and later on the Victoria class. After retiring, he joined Lockheed Martin Canada to continue the work he’d dedicated his career to.

A Team Built on Experience

Submarine missions are diverse and essential for maritime defence, delivering critical capabilities for surveillance, deterrence and undersea warfare. They require complex engineering and maintenance, and Lockheed Martin’s seasoned team meets these needs, providing day-to-day support on both coasts in Victoria and Halifax, assisting DND with system performance testing, technical documentation development, and even going to sea conducting torpedo firings and sonar trials.

The team of approximately 10 works across Lockheed Martin Canada’s locations in Esquimalt, Ottawa, Gatineau, Dartmouth and Halifax. As such a small team, they benefit from cross-program collaboration, pulling from the deep knowledge and 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 and 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 Martin instructors also train new sailors to use and 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 hand is what makes going to work every day so exciting: “It’s the strength of our combined talent, and the knowledge that the work we do directly supports operational readiness and the people who serve. When the stakes are high and the Navy needs a solution, it’s up to us to deliver a clear path forward.”

Luc and his team look forward to seeing where the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project will take the fleet in the coming years and stand ready to support the new fleet just as they have supported Canada’s submarines for the past 35+ years.