In the weeks leading up to a preferred supplier decision on Canada’s patrol submarine program, Hanwha Ocean has been signing partnerships with Canadian technology companies at a steady pace.
On May 14, the company announced agreements with two Toronto-based firms: ForceN, a robotics sensing company developing AI-enabled force and torque technologies for aerospace, surgical, and logistics applications, and Astrus, an AI semiconductor design company focused on analog and mixed-signal automation. A week later, on May 21, Hanwha signed a memorandum of understanding with Longueuil-based Reaction Dynamics, a company developing responsive, deployable orbital launch systems for sovereign and allied access to space.
All three agreements fall under the same framework: a dedicated venture investment platform Hanwha says is valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, subject to winning the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.
Beyond naval procurement
The partnerships span robotics, AI, semiconductors, and space launch, sectors well outside traditional submarine industrial participation. Hanwha frames this as deliberate. The company says it views the CPSP not as a conventional procurement offset obligation but as a platform for long-term Canada-Korea industrial cooperation tied to innovation and sovereign capability growth.
“Canada’s long-term competitiveness will depend not only on what it builds, but also on its ability to scale and commercialize sovereign technologies across advanced manufacturing, AI, robotics, and defence-related industries,” said Glenn Copeland, CEO of Hanwha Defence Canada.
Who was in the room
The Reaction Dynamics signing took place at the company’s newly expanded Longueuil headquarters following Space Canada’s Horizons conference. Attendees included Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell and Vice President Stéphanie Durand, Brigadier-General Christopher Horner of 3 Canadian Space Division, and senior representatives from CAF, DND, DRDC, and BDC.
The bigger picture
The investment platform is contingent on CPSP selection and the fund itself remains planned rather than established. No financial terms were disclosed for any of the three agreements. A preferred supplier decision for contract negotiations is expected imminently.