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Vard Marine Launches a Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel Tailored to The Future Needs of the Royal Canadian Navy

(Source: Vard Marine Inc.; issued May 30, 2023)
An artist's impression of the Vigilance offshore patrol vessel that Vard Marine, a subsidiary of Italy's Fincantieri group, is offering to the Canadian Navy. (Vard image)

Vard Marine Inc. (VARD), a Fincantieri company, is proud to launch the Vigilance Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) at CANSEC 2023 in conjunction with Team Vigilance partner companies Heddle Shipyards, Thales Canada, SH Defence, and Fincantieri.

Collectively, Team Vigilance partner companies bring vast and impressive capabilities and experience to bear in naval ship design, Canadian and global shipbuilding, the integration of combat and offboard systems, modular payload systems, and life-cycle solutions. This collaboration ensures Team Vigilance is able to meet the needs of any naval operator in this space and beyond.

Tailored to the needs of the Royal Canadian Navy’s future fleet, Vigilance strikes the balance between flexibility, adaptability, and size, while maintaining the life-cycle cost advantages VARD’s naval designs are known for. The vessel has been conceived for high-tempo sovereignty missions and engineered for global deployment and forward basing abroad.

Cost effective and forward-looking, Vigilance will fulfill critical operational needs through a combination of organic and modular capabilities, enabling core naval mission such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, subsea infrastructure protection, mine countermeasures, resource conservation, and maritime interdiction operations. The seamless integration of the CUBETM plug-and-play mission module and payload handling system ensures Vigilance remains future-proof and can offer a true multi-mission capability regardless of the tasks assigned to the vessel.

Intended to satisfy projected future demands under the second pillar of the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy as a replacement for the Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels, these new ships will be designed, built, and equipped in Canada.

Vigilance will provide the sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve the modern tools they need to protect Canada’s vital interests at home and abroad.

Derek Buxton, Vice President Business Development, Vard Marine Inc., said: “With our experience in designing modern multi-mission OPVs such as the RCN’s AOPS and the USCG’s Heritage Class Cutters, and the vast, aligned, experience of our Team Vigilance partners, we stand ready to support the Government of Canada throughout the ongoing conception, development, delivery, and deployment of their future offshore patrol vessel program."

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Thales and Team Vigilance Launch the Royal Canadian Navy’s Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel

Thales today announced at CANSEC 2023 – alongside its Team Vigilance partners – that it will provide Combat Systems Integration (CSI) and Electronic Systems Integration (ESI) for the Vigilance Class OPV to modernize the Royal Canadian Navy’s future fleet.

In addition to Thales’ electronic and combat systems integration capabilities, Thales Canada brings more than fifty years of experience supporting the RCN’s fleets and another thirteen years as a vital Tier-1 supplier under Canada’s NSS to Team Vigilance, adding to a combination of industrial leadership and Canadian know-how.

“It’s energizing to envision what Canada’s sailors and the RCN could gain from a paradigm shift in mid-sized OPVs: fewer crew needs through digitization and uncrewed systems; mission adaptability via modern sensor-suites; and future-proofing by way of artificial intelligence, connectivity, big data and IoT technologies. All this in a fully integrated, compact and versatile vessel – the outcome of a deep commitment among Team Vigilance partners to both Canada and to collaboration,” said Chris Pogue, CEO, Thales Canada.

Collectively, Team Vigilance has both the capabilities and experience to meet the needs of the most demanding naval operators, whether it is in ship design, Canadian and global shipbuilding, the integration of combat and offboard systems, modular payload systems, or life-cycle solutions that are both sustainable and eco-conscious. And, together, Team Vigilance can deliver to Canada a new class of multi-mission OPVs with the capabilities to fulfil any mission assigned to it at home or abroad.

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