Nova Scotia company tapped for River-Class Destroyer training programs
By Trident Staff
IRVING SHIPBUILDING
Modest Tree, a Nova Scotia-based company, has been awarded a $32-million subcontract by Fleetway Inc. to develop training systems for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) transition from its Halifax-class frigates to the future River-class Destroyers.
The training platform will draw directly from the destroyer’s digital ship design data and manufacturer documentation, translating engineering models into interactive training environments. The idea is to have sailors familiar with ship systems well before commissioning, with the aim of reducing the time needed to bring crews up to speed once the ships begin entering service.
Modest Tree claims to specialize in 3D training and digital engineering solutions for defence and industry and has been operating in Nova Scotia since its founding in 2011.
According to a press release announcing the contract, Fleetway personnel will also be trained to manage ongoing courseware updates for the training systems, keeping materials current as the ships move through construction and into the decades of planned service life.
“In complex warships, preparation is decisive,” Rear-Admiral (Ret’d) John Newton, Managing Director at Fleetway Inc., is quoted as saying. “By generating training directly from the ship’s digital design, we are compressing the learning curve and forging crews ready to operate Canada’s most advanced surface combatants from day one.”
Fleetway, also a Nova Scotia company, was awarded a broader contract earlier this year by shipbuilder Irving Shipbuilding Inc. to provide specialist support for construction of the River-class Destroyers, covering the first three ships in the program. That work includes a class supportability solution, training, technical data products, and engineering support. Both Fleetway and Irving Shipbuilding are part of the J.D. Irving, Ltd. group of companies.
Canada has committed to building 15 River-class Destroyers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The ships are intended to serve as the RCN’s primary surface combat capability, designed to deploy independently or alongside allied navies for extended periods anywhere in the world. Their tasking will span a wide range of operations ; from high-end combat at sea and support to allies ashore, to counter-piracy, interdiction and embargo enforcement, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, and Arctic and coastal sovereignty patrols.
The transition from the Halifax-class, which has formed the backbone of Canada’s surface fleet since the early 1990s, marks a significant generational shift for the RCN. The River-class ships are set to be larger, more capable, and more technologically complex than their predecessors, meaning early and thorough training will be important for naval personnel who will eventually sail as part of the new fleet.
The announcement was framed by both companies as a contribution to Canada’s defence industrial base, with Fleetway and Modest Tree both citing the creation of skilled technology jobs in Atlantic Canada as part of the contract’s value.
