MDA extends Canadian Navy’s Kingston-class vessels operational support

Royal Canadian Navy's Kingston-class HMCS Summerside Vessel

sailing through St John's Harbour. Photo Nilfanion

18 May 2012naval-technology.com

Royal Canadian Navy's Kingston-class HMCS Summerside Vessel MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has signed an agreement with SNC-Lavalin Defence Programs to extend its operational services for the Canadian Department of National Defence's (DND) 12 Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessels.

Under the terms of the contract extension, MDA will continue to provide operational support services on both coasts and integrated ship systems as an SNC-Lavalin-led team member since 1992.

SNC-Lavalin Defence Programs has been recently awarded a contract to provide full in-service support (ISS) for the vessels as part of the overall minor warships auxiliary vessels (MWAV) project for the Royal Canadian Navy.

The Halifax Shipyards-built 12 Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessels have been designed to support coastal surveillance, naval reserve force training, mine countermeasures for route survey, minesweeping and mine inspection operations.

The frigates also provide coastal defence capabilities to the Canadian Navy by supporting search and rescue, fisheries and environmental monitoring, disaster relief, mine countermeasures and scientific research missions.

Built in the mid-1990s, the mine countermeasures systems of the vessels include the deep sea Thales MMS mechanical mine sweeping system, the route survey system and the Sutec remotely operated vehicle (ROV) mine inspection system.

The frigate features Bofors 40mm Model 60 mk5C rapid fire gun on the forecastle deck and two 12.7mm machine guns one either side at the front of the bridge deck.

Powered by four main Wärtsilä UD 23V12 diesel motors, four alternators and two Jeumont electric motors (600V DC), the Kingston-class vessel is also equipped with Kelvin Hughes I-band navigation radar.