River-class destroyer (2030s)

The River-class destroyer, formerly the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC), and Single Class Surface Combatant Project is the procurement project that will replace the Iroquois and Halifax-class warships with up to 15 new ships beginning in the early 2030s as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

At approximately 8,000 tonnes (7,900 long tons), the replacement vessels will have almost double the displacement of the existing Halifax-class frigates, and provide a wide-area air defence capability, anti-submarine, and anti-ship warfare capability. In 2017, a new defence policy framework, entitled Strong, Secure and Engaged, was unveiled which promised significantly greater resources for the Surface Combatant Project – in the range of $60 billion. By 2021, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated the cost for the program of 15 Type 26 ships as $77.3 billion, "rising to $79.7 billion if there is a one-year delay in the start of construction and $82.1 billion if there is a two-year delay".

On 19 October 2018, the Type 26 was selected as the "preferred design", and the government entered "into negotiations with the winning bidder to confirm it can deliver everything promised in the complex proposal." On 8 February 2019, the Canadian government signed the $60 billion contract with the winning bidders.

As of 2026, early construction of the first three ships is underway.