Canada will expand its fleet of Armoured Combat Support Vehicles (ACSVs) with an order for 190 new units from General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada under a partnership announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The government will invest nearly C$2bn ($1.4bn) over four years in the project, aiming to deliver the vehicles to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) units for use in training across the country.
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The latest procurement will increase the CAF’s ACSV inventory from 360 to 550 vehicles.
According to the announcement, the new vehicles are designed to protect personnel against mines, improvised explosive devices, and enemy fire, while maintaining mobility on the battlefield.
All vehicles will be engineered, manufactured, and assembled domestically at the GDLS-Canada facility in London, Ontario.
The government expects this initiative to create or sustain more than 6,000 jobs nationwide each year over the next eight years, spanning an industrial supply chain of more than 600 suppliers in over 100 communities.
Key subcontractors include steel producers such as InterPro in Regina, thermal imaging system designers at Thales Canada in Saint-Laurent, and technical component manufacturers at IMP Aerospace & Defence in Enfield, according to official statements.
The government asserts the programme is designed to reinforce Canada’s domestic supply chain and deliver stable employment within the defence sector.
GDLS-Canada becomes the federal government’s first Strategic Partner under the newly established Defence Industrial Strategy’s Strategic Partnership Framework.
Under this plan, designated Strategic Partners commit to Canadian research and development, local hiring, and supply chain growth, in exchange for accelerated government approvals and potential export support.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “Through this new partnership, GDLS-Canada will design, build, deliver, and sustain the next generation of armoured combat vehicles here in Canada.”
The government’s initiative forms part of a series of long-term investments aimed at rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces, achieving Nato’s 2% defence spending benchmark for the first time since the early 1990s.
Canada is also overhauling defence procurement processes and establishing more than 20 defence and security partnerships within the past year.
