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Babcock Canada and Larus develop AI to plan maintenance for Canada’s submarine fleet

Babcock Canada and Larus are developing AI to help plan maintenance for Canada’s submarine fleet, as the country prepares to replace its four Victoria-class boats through the CPSP announced in 2024.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 2 outletsHow it's made

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2 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
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What happened

Key facts

  • Babcock and Larus are set to develop AI for submarine maintenance (per vanguarddefence.ca, canadiandefencereview.com).
  • Canada’s submarine fleet could grow from four boats to as many as 12 under the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (per vanguarddefence.ca).
  • Reporting on the proposed AI tool is limited; the source does not verify any statement about the workforce, skills or industrial capacity needed for a larger fleet.
  • Reporting on the proposed AI tool is limited; the source does not verify any statement about developing or operating AI in Canada.
  • The source does not verify that Canada is buying 12 submarines.
  • The source does not verify that the navy’s analysis indicates a need for 22 submarines.

The brief

Babcock Canada and Larus are developing AI for submarine maintenance, with Babcock aiming to use the technology to plan for a possible expansion of Canada’s submarine fleet, Vanguard Defence reported. The outlet links the work to the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, under which the fleet could grow from four boats to as many as 12.

Babcock CEO Tony March said the tool could help determine the workforce, skills and industrial capacity that a larger future fleet would require. His comments describe the planning role the company expects the AI to support; Vanguard Defence does not report a completed tool or specify when it might be put into use.

Larus CEO George Di Nardo said Canadian defence programs need AI that is developed and operated domestically. The statement sets out Larus’s position on where defence-related AI should be built and run, while the account does not describe how the two companies will divide the work.

Vanguard Defence says Canada is buying 12 submarines and separately reports that the navy’s own analysis indicates a requirement for 22. Those figures distinguish the reported purchase from the larger number the outlet attributes to the navy’s analysis. The account does not explain the basis or timing of either figure.

The outlet also identifies the firms’ earlier work together: it says they teamed up in 2025 on a machine-learning proof of concept for predictive support of complex fleets. That prior project provides the stated background to their current submarine-maintenance effort, but the account does not give details about its results.

The next stated steps are tied to planning needs rather than a public deployment schedule: Babcock says the tool could help define workforce, skills and industrial-capacity requirements as Canada plans for a larger fleet. The account does not identify a project milestone or decision date.

Why it matters

  • If Canada expands its submarine fleet from four boats to as many as 12, it will need more maintenance capacity, trained specialists and industrial support to keep submarines available for operations. AI-assisted planning could help the Navy and suppliers anticipate those requirements and schedule work, informing workforce development and procurement decisions before the fleet grows. Developing and operating the tool in Canada could also build domestic expertise in defence software and maintenance planning.

What to watch next

  • Whether Babcock uses the tool to define workforce, skills and industrial-capacity needs for a larger fleet.
  • How Canada’s reported purchase of 12 submarines relates to the navy analysis that Vanguard Defence says calls for 22.
  • Whether Babcock and Larus disclose a project milestone or deployment schedule.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
2 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Not enough rated outlets
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Unknown 50%
None of the outlets covering this story is rated yet, so no coverage mix is shown.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
  • Coverage is currently limited to 2 outlets.
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The United Kingdom announced it would withdraw its four Upholder-class submarines from service.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Canada agreed to acquire the four Upholder-class submarines under a lease-to-buy arrangement.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. Canada’s current fleet also reflects an earlier procurement decision: the Oberon-class submarines entered Canadian service in the 1960s, and the last was decommissioned in 2000.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Larus Technologies, a Canadian artificial-intelligence company founded in 2003, developed its business in data analytics and AI before the CPSP created a new submarine-fleet planning horizon.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. In 2013, Babcock Canada became the prime contractor for Victoria-class in-service support, covering maintenance and engineering work.
    Background · from our historical context
  6. The transition to the Victoria class preserved a submarine capability, but left Canada operating four boats for more than two decades before the CPSP was announced in 2024.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

Canada’s Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), announced in 2024, established the planned replacement of the Royal Canadian Navy’s four Victoria-class submarines as the immediate backdrop to longer-term maintenance planning.

The project has been framed around a potential fleet of up to 12 boats, a substantial change from the four submarines Canada has operated since the Victoria class entered service between 2000 and 2004. In 2013, Babcock Canada became the prime contractor for Victoria-class in-service support, covering maintenance and engineering work.

Original sources

2 articles from 2 outlets

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