MBDA has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Canada to equip the Royal Canadian Navy’s new Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) with the Sea Ceptor air defense weapon system.

Utilizing the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) as its effector, Sea Ceptor will undertake the Close-In Air Defense System (CIADS) role on-board the new CSC frigates.

Sea Ceptor provides exceptional self-defense performance, with a rapid response time and a high rate of fire to defeat multiple threats simultaneously. Its state-of-the-art Soft Vertical Launch (SVL) technology enables full 360° coverage with close range performance normally only associated with trainable launcher systems. Sea Ceptor will be integrated with Lockheed Martin Canada’s Combat Management System 330 (CMS 330) as part of a multi-tier air defense capability. The CAMM missiles will be quad packed in Lockheed Martin’s Extensible Launcher System (ExLS), which is part of the Mk41 family of vertical launcher systems.

MBDA’s role on CSC will create a positive impact on the Canadian defense industry and its supply chain through Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy. This contract will bring significant investment by MBDA in research and development to Canada across a wide range of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and advanced materials.

This investment will be made across small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), academia and other key industries across Canada, supporting high technology jobs.  In addition, the CSC program will further strengthen the partnership between MBDA and Lockheed Martin Canada, which has already seen Sea Ceptor and CMS330 providing world-class air defense capabilities to the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Chilean Navy.

Éric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this contract, and to play a part in contributing to such an important program to Canada. Sea Ceptor delivers next generation technology that will help protect the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy as they carry out their missions around the world on-board the advanced new CSC frigates.”

MBDA is the only European defense group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).

With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2020 MBDA achieved revenue of 3.6 billion euros with an order book of 16.6 billion euros. In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.

MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Leonardo (25%).