Rolls-Royce held a ground breaking ceremony at its Peterborough, Ontario, site on February 14, for a new facility that will support the company’s work on the Canadian Surface Combatant program.
Inside the new facility, the company will design and manufacture the mission bay handling system (MBHS) for the Royal Canadian Navy’s 15 warships that will be based on the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate which is being delivered by BAE Systems.
In addition to the Canadian vessels, MBHS will also be used on Type 26 ships (also referred to as the Global Combat Ship by BAE Systems) ordered by Australia and the UK.
Rolls-Royce noted it already expanded its supply chain in Canada to meet the significant domestic and international export opportunities created by the Global Combat Ship program.
“We are pleased to welcome Minister Monsef, MPP Smith and Mayor Therrien to mark this significant milestone in developing our infrastructure which will support the Canadian Surface Combatant program,” Bruce Lennie, Rolls-Royce, vice president, business development & government affairs, said.
“This center will harness and build upon the wealth of Canadian engineering and technological expertise we have at Rolls-Royce. We look forward to growing our business in country, further developing our supply chain and enhancing our contributions to the Canadian economy.”
The MBHS has the capability to launch and recover naval vehicles and move containerized packages without the aid of a dockside crane. The multi-functional system can also be adapted to support custom operational requirements, such as humanitarian missions, by providing the space for medical facilities and aid supplies.
The Royal Canadian Navy is expected to receive its first CSC ship in late 2020s.
