Vanguard Magazine

8 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com RNLN De Zeven Provicien Frigate at-sea Sponsored Content PersPeCtiVe Alion Science & Technology headquar- tered in McLean, Virginia and its subsid- iary Alion Canada based in Kanata, On- tario, recently submitted their final bid for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Program. With six decades of marine en- gineering experience, Alion is uniquely qualified to manage this complex warship design and delivery program. Alion is offering an "evolved" military off-the-shelf (MOTS) design which, com- pared to new, unproven designs, is cost- effective and lowers the risk of potential schedule delays and cost overruns. The Alion design is based on the De Zeven Provinciën-class (LCF) frigate — an oper- ationally-proven NATO vessel. Four LCF frigates have demonstrated at-sea excel- lence with the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) for over ten years. The LCF frigate De Ruyter achieved prominence this year as the flagship for the Standing NATO Maritime Group-2 (SNMG-2) in the Mediterranean and Black seas. De Ruyter will also be part of NATO exercise Trident Juncture this fall along with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and other coalition navies. The RCN is very familiar with the LCF's attributes having served alongside the Dutch Navy on several international missions. Importantly, the RNLN contin- ue to improve their LCF. The ship now has ballistic missile defence capability - a testament to its versatility in meeting evolving requirements. Ship designs must undergo system en- gineering, integration, evaluation, envi- ronmental qualification and harbour tests before moving on to sea trials and final acceptance tests. This process ensures that the ship is fully functional and ready to sail. New designs bring additional complexity that require costly and time-consuming modifications until their seaworthiness and performance standards have been achieved. Failure on a key performance re- quirement can produce years of delay and significant added costs. According to a re- cent Parliamentary Budget Office study, every year of delay adds $1.5 billion to the overall project cost. A MOTS platform ensures that Canada will not foot the bill for the inevitable risks associated with first article ship design. As a proven platform, the LCF will only need modifications - integrating the latest power, propulsion and control system technology along with advances in sensors, weapons, communications and command and con- trol systems. The evolved MOTS approach speeds up transition to the build phase. Alion is uniquely capable of managing an evolved ship design. For the past 40 years, Alion has been managing ship construction for both new build and modernization pro- grams (for example the Arleigh Burke and Ticonderoga classes) for the US Navy. Alion added to its pedigree when it acquired John J. McMullen Associates (JJMA). Alion's strength lies in its ability to manage the complexity of the total warship design and integration processes to meet the RCN's need for a modern and capable warship with minimal risk to the taxpayer. Alion's Industrial and Technological Benefits package is second to none and builds upon Key Industrial Capabilities. This represents long-term investment in high tech jobs in dozens of Canadian companies. Through the CSC program, Alion intends to transfer and augment ship design engineering and marine systems integration capability into Canada and build a program team to manage CSC to- gether with Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and the Crown. The goal is to further create world-class ship design capability to serve Canada and global markets, something al- ready demonstrated with the MV Investi- gator. It was designed by a Joint Venture between Alion, Alion Canada, and Robert Allan Ltd, built in Singapore and delivered to Australia. The features of the Alion bid are com- pelling – a proven and very capable design, low risk and production ready to cre- ate jobs as part of a global marine en- gineering market. They are definitely ready to create a splash. Alion offers improVed Version of dutch frigate for canadian surface combatant program Zr. Ms. De Ruyter fires the SM-2 missile

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