May 5, 2026:
a South Korea submarine recently arrived at
Guam, concluding the first stage of what will be the longest voyage of a South Korean submarine to date.
ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-083), the first of Seoul’s KSS-III-class of diesel electric submarines, departed South Korea last month for Canada ahead of drills with the Royal Canadian Navy in support of South Korea's proposal for Canada’s 12 attack submarine package.
The South Korean participation will demonstrate South Korea’s bid in the Canadian Patrol Submarine Program. Canada currently relies on an aging fleet of four submarines that were previously in service with Britain before entering RCN service in the 1990s-2000s.
Since the program’s onset in 2021, Canada has evaluated its choice between South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean KSS-III and Germany’s Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems Type 212CD. The two firms have pledged to support local submarine infrastructure efforts, create tens of thousands of jobs and quickly deliver the 12 attack boats in bids to win the $20-$40 billion program. The first vessel of this future class is expected to be delivered by 2035.
The deployment of this South Korean submarine will be the farthest away a South Korean submarine has traveled. Korea claims that the KSS-III will sail up to 14,000 kilometers. To sustain the voyage, the submarine will conduct another replenishment stop in Hawaii before arriving in Canada. The attack boat will also pick up two Royal Canadian Navy submariners for the final leg for observations of the Hanwha Ocean submarine while underway.
The South Korean submarine will later reveal maritime security and defense cooperation between South Korea and Canada through these joint exercises.
The submarine will arrive in Canada by June, coinciding with Canada’s expected decision on the winner of the patrol submarine program. After activities with the Royal Canadian Navy, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is slated to join Rim of the Pacific 2026 naval drills around Hawaii on its return voyage home.
South Korea’s bid for the KSS-III submarine in Canada’s program is one of the many international pitches being made by South Korean shipbuilders in a broader strategic sale strategy to place the country’s arms on the international market. While initially conceived to support South Korea’s counterstrike efforts in the event of a war with North Korea, Hanwha Ocean has offered export variants of the KSS-III in its various bids.