Canada has awarded a £15.1m ($19.2m) contract to Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) for the production of a lightweight Torpedo Launcher System (TLS) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) on a major naval vessel programme, to be completed in 2030, with work expected to begin immediately, according to a release from Cohort PLC, SEA’s parent company, on 29 January.

SEA’s TLS is a weapon-agnostic system capable of firing a range of Nato standard lightweight torpedos. With more than 30 years service with the UK Royal Navy, the system has a proven modular and flexible design, capable of firing the US Mk 44, Mk 46 and Mk 54 torpedoes, UK Sting Ray, Italian A244S, French MU 90 and the Korean Blue Shark.

"This contract is another significant win for SEA and will deliver an essential capability for the Royal Canadian Navy,” said Andy Thomis, Cohort CEO. “It builds on SEA's long-standing reputation and successful delivery of the TLS system to customers around the world. Together with other recent contract wins across the Group, this further underpins our order book and enhances the visibility of future revenues."

The RNC has a number of ongoing major naval vessel programmes, including the future Protecteur-class Joint Support Ships, DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, and the next-generation Frigate under the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program. 

The contract follows another successful sale of the TLS by SEA in February 2022 to Hyundai Heavy Industries to be installed upon two new corvettes in the Philippine Navy, and previously a sale in April 2021 to an undisclosed South American customer. The system installed for the Phillipinne Navy features port and starboard triple tubes on a rotating base and uses composite materials for extended equipment lifespans and low signature levels.

Work will be performed SEA Canada, SEA’s wholly owned subsidiary, supported by a UK team at SEA.