According to reliable sources in the Canadian Government, the country is considering sharing the program to build 12 new submarines between Germany and South Korea, with each country building six submarines. In practice, this means that Canada will acquire six T-212CD and six KSS-III Batch-II. According to reports, Canada’s final decision will be announced in early April 2026. The Canadian program aims to replace the “Victoria” class submarines and expand the submarine fleet. Although sharing the program will speed up shipbuilding, as two production lines will operate simultaneously, there are also disadvantages, such as the need to create two support lines.
In late August 2025, the Canadian government announced that the country’s new submarines would be selected between Germany’s TKMS (Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems) and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean. Canada wants 12 new submarines with a budget of $60 billion. Canada currently operates four Victoria-class submarines (formerly Upholder), which it acquired second-hand from Great Britain in 2000-2004. Since 2017, the submarines have been experiencing problems and by 2023, $1.9 billion has been spent on repairs and support.
