Lockheed Martin expects to begin delivering the first Canadian combat ships in the early 2030s. (BAE Systems)

Lockheed Martin Canada expects to complete the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the nation’s next-generation surface combatant in the coming months, marking another significant milestone for the program.

Speaking to the media at the Euronaval 2022 maritime exhibition in Paris on Oct. 18, Glenn Copeland, managing director of Rotary and Mission Systems, Canada, said the company has entered the PDR phase for the Canadian Surface Combatant ( CSC) earlier in 2022 and planned to complete it by the end of the year or the beginning of 2023.

The PDR stage will mark the transition of the program from the functional engineering design to the detailed design phase. Under current planning, the Critical Design Review phase will run from 2023 to early 2024 and then transition to the Final Design Review phase, which is expected to be completed in 2025.