Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 21 in engagements with Canadian industry go- ing forward. Q The Victoria-class Modernization has introduced 24 projects of varying sizes that are designed to increase the capabil- ity of these submarines. How is this pro- gramme unfolding and has the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on schedule? VCM is in Options Analysis and contin- ues to progress notwithstanding the CO- VID-19 pandemic. While there have been some delays, our stakeholders and partners in the Public Service and in Industry have demonstrated a remarkable degree of resil- iency in being able to continue to advance VCM even in this altered paradigm with vital elements of the team working almost exclusively from home. At this stage, we anticipate that the first two VCM major projects, Periscope and Flank Array replace- ment, will enter Definition phase later this year. In parallel, 10 smaller VCM projects, mostly habitability improvements, should move to Implementation. The remaining major projects should move to Definition Phase in 2021. Q What are your concerns with regards to the VCM programme, vis-à-vis timing, and scheduled Extended Docking Work Periods and how can industry help? Proper project management requires con- siderable and detailed work in order to move projects through their approval gates in a timely fashion, and yet we are working in the context of a relatively fixed future for the class which translates into fewer oppor- tunities to install VCM equipment than we might like. Also, depending on when we can install equipment in each submarine, VCM equipment may not be used for as long as we might like before the submarine is with- drawn from service. As VCM projects move to Implementation, we will look to Indus- try to be fairly aggressive with the delivery of technical data packages from which inte- gration specifications can be developed, and with system deliveries, noting that delays will cost us installation opportunities. Q What do you wish to see from industry as to useable (and affordable) technology initiatives, particularly those regarding power generation and stor- age? (We are not suggesting that the Air Independent Power (AIP) system be retrofitted). Again, continuity of the supply chain is key. As the business landscape continues to change, we've just emerged from a rela- tively significant supply chain disruption related to our main batteries and we are in the midst of others. We fully expect to en- counter similar situations over the next de- cade and a half, but I am confident that Ca- nadian ingenuity will prevail, whether that means working with partners in Canada to find new foreign sources of supply or devel- oping fully 'made in Canada' solutions. Specific to VCM, there are three projects that relate to the area of interest you've identified here: Battery Health Monitor- ing, Improved Power Storage Density, and Energy Efficiency Improvements (Reduced Power Consumption). For the first project, we are in the market for a battery surveil- lance system that will provide relatively complete performance data on each cell without having to put a sailor in the battery tanks regularly to collect it. For the second, we are tracking developments in the appli- cation of Lithium-ion and Nickel-Zinc bat- tery technologies to submarine applications, and provided there is a feasible solution for the Victoria-class available in the next few years, we may acquire a replacement for our existing Lead-acid batteries. Finally, under the Energy Efficiency Improvements proj- ect, we are interested in fairly diverse aspects of energy efficiency such as fairness of form, more efficient electrical transformers, and potentially the use of LED lighting in place of fluorescent or incandescent fixtures. Q Are there are any other projects that you foresee coming in under the VCM umbrella? We tend to see VCM as a relatively fixed group of projects, and do not forecast further additions. However, if something comes up that really should be taken on, we would examine whether to expand the scope of VCM or simply initiate another project outside the scope of VCM. Opportunities are narrowing, however, as we implement VCM, one of our constraints is that VCM acquisitions need to be integrated into the submarine along with the deliverables from a number of pre-VCM projects or any oth- ers that become necessary as a consequence of our continued obsolescence manage- ment efforts. This is not necessarily easy to do, since as I've noted previously, time is against us from the point of view of taking on more equipment change projects in the Victoria-class. interview to Learn More Attend DeepBlue Forum 2020 Virtually on Oct 29-30 www.VanguardCanada.com/ DeepBlue2020 Q How do you see Unmanned Under- water Vehicles (UUVs) being integrated into Victoria-class submarine operations? UUVs are an exciting technology area with a great deal of development happening worldwide, including significant develop- ment here in Canada. At this stage, how- ever, we do not envision a UUV operating from the Victoria-class submarine. We may eventually operate an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from the Victoria-class, and in fact there is a specific VCM project that aims to provide a submarine-launched UAV capability to the submarine force. Q And finally, what's the status of the submarine rescue systems, such as the Submarine Escape and Rescue Capability (SERC), and what opportunities are there for the Canadian industry? Our most pressing concern over the past several years has been the Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment (SEIE) suits. SEIE suits serve as a sort of 'last resort' option for surviving crew members to egress from a dis- abled submarine trapped at depth, with pres- surized submersible rescue vehicles as the preferred option. While we have had supply chain difficulties with the suits in the past, we have a contract with Survitec Canada for the acquisition of 600 new SEIE Mk 11 suits, and we look forward to taking delivery in the near future. Moving forward, there will be intermittent requirements to resup- ply our O 2 generation and CO 2 scrubbing stores, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (as well as a submarine-launched EPIRB variant), Expendable Communica- tion Buoys, and distress pyrotechnic stores as well as one more foreseeable requirement to acquire SEIE suits.

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