HMCS Ville de Québec frigate completes Canada's second-ever naval forward missile rearmament outside North America.

As reported by Policy Hawk on July 22, 2025, the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332) conducted two forward rearmament operations with RGM-84 Harpoon Block II missiles at the Port of Darwin, Australia, on July 9 and July 21, 2025, while participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre 25.
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The Harpoon Block II missile forms part of Canada’s standard shipborne armament on Halifax-class frigates, providing them with a capable long-range strike option that complements their air and subsurface defensive weapons. (Picture source: Australian MoD)

This marks the second confirmed case of forward missile rearmament by a Royal Canadian Navy vessel outside Canada and the United States. The first took place on September 23, 2024, when HMCS Vancouver rearmed in Broome, Australia, with both Harpoon and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles during Operation Horizon. In both instances, Canadian Armed Forces ammunition specialists worked with Australian Defence Force logistics personnel and civilian contractors at Australian ports to transfer munitions into the ships’ launch systems.

Forward rearmament refers to the resupply of a warship’s missile systems at a location closer to operational theaters rather than at its home port. This type of rearmament is generally carried out in allied ports or staging areas and involves the handling and installation of munitions outside the ship’s national territory. It is considered a logistical capability that enables ships to remain deployed without having to return to national bases for resupply. For navies operating far from their home waters, and with ships equipped with a limited number of missile cells, forward rearmament allows more sustained presence in contested or distant areas. In the case of HMCS Ville de Québec, the operation was conducted with the support of Australian port staff and defense personnel at Darwin, building on the procedural framework established during HMCS Vancouver’s rearmament in Broome in 2024. Ammunition for HMCS Vancouver’s rearmament had been flown from Canada to Darwin via RCAF CC-177 Globemaster and trucked to Broome before being loaded aboard. The rearmament of Ville de Québec took place before and after a live-fire missile launch against a ground-based target, using an exercise variant of the Harpoon prior to firing and the operational variant afterward.

The missile involved in these rearmament operations was the RGM-84 Harpoon Block II, a subsonic, sea-skimming, over-the-Horizon missile designed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security) for anti-ship roles. The Block II version integrates navigation and targeting improvements derived from the Joint Direct Attack Munition and the SLAM Expanded Response missile. It is equipped with GPS-assisted inertial navigation, improved target discrimination, and better performance in coastal environments. The surface-launched Harpoon Block II has an estimated range of more than 124 kilometers. During Talisman Sabre 25, HMCS Ville de Québec was rearmed with an exercise variant of the missile prior to a live-fire launch, which targeted a ground-based objective, and subsequently rearmed with the operational variant. The missile is housed in Mk 141 canisters located between the ship’s helicopter hangar and main funnel and can be deployed in both surface strike and land-attack scenarios, depending on variant and configuration.

HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332) is a Halifax-class frigate commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on July 14, 1994. Built by MIL-Davie Shipbuilding in Lauzon, Quebec, it is the third ship of its class and is based at CFB Halifax. The ship displaces approximately 5,000 tonnes at full load, with a length of 134.2 meters, a beam of 16.5 meters, and a draught of 7.1 meters. It is powered by two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines and a SEMT Pielstick diesel engine in a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion system. It can reach speeds up to 30 knots and has a range of 9,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. Ville de Québec carries 255 personnel, including aircrew. The armament includes two quad Mk 141 launchers for Harpoon missiles, two Mk 48 VLS cells for 16 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, a Bofors 57 mm Mk3 gun, one Phalanx CIWS, four .50-calibre remote weapon stations, and two twin 324 mm torpedo tubes for 24 Mk 46 torpedoes. It also operates one CH-148 Cyclone helicopter from a reinforced flight deck with bear trap recovery capability.

The frigate underwent modernization under the Halifax Class Modernization program, including upgrades to its command and control systems, radar suite, and defensive countermeasures. The SPS-49 radar was replaced by the Thales SMART-S Mk2 3D surveillance radar, and STIR 1.8 fire control radars were replaced with Saab Ceros 200. Additional modifications include the installation of Rheinmetall’s MASS DUERAS decoy system, IBM multi-link datalink processing, upgraded navigation radars, and enhanced electronic warfare systems. The existing 57 mm gun was upgraded to Mk 3 standard, Harpoon missiles to Block II, and the CIWS to Block 1B. Ville de Québec has previously taken part in NATO operations in the Adriatic, participated in the blockade of Yugoslavia, escorted UN World Food Program vessels off Somalia, and conducted Arctic patrols and War of 1812 commemorations. It also deployed with Canada’s Operation Reassurance in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and took part in NATO Exercise Trident Juncture and Operation Nanook.

Ville de Québec’s rearmament and participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 occurred during its deployment under Operation Horizon, Canada’s permanent Indo-Pacific forward presence mission, which replaced the Indo-Pacific portion of Operation Projection in 2023. The ship is also sailing as part of the UK-led Carrier Strike Group under Operation Highmast, centered on HMS Prince of Wales. Canada’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific for Talisman Sabre 25 includes approximately 600 personnel, comprising Royal Canadian Navy sailors, Royal Canadian Air Force aircrews and logistics teams, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, Canadian Forces Cyber Command, and 3 Canadian Space Division. RCAF aircraft such as the CC-177 Globemaster are supporting the deployment with strategic airlift capabilities. This contingent is the largest Canadian Armed Forces deployment to the Indo-Pacific since the launch of Operation Horizon and includes participation in both joint naval operations and logistics coordination with allied forces.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 is the eleventh edition of the biennial multinational military exercise hosted by Australia. Taking place from July 13 to August 4, 2025, it involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 countries and operations across multiple Australian states and territories, including, for the first time, Papua New Guinea. The exercise includes large-scale multi-domain training in land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains. It is co-led by the Australian Defence Force and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and is designed to enhance interoperability, conduct complex joint operations, and demonstrate allied capability to operate in contested environments. The rearmament of HMCS Ville de Québec in Darwin was supported by Australian logistics and port authorities and was cited by both Canadian and Australian commanders as a clear indicator of deepening operational cooperation. Vice Admiral Justin Jones, Chief of Joint Operations for the ADF, stated that using Darwin to rearm a Canadian ship represented a significant development in supporting allied forces in northern Australia. Lieutenant-General Steve Boivin, Commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, emphasized that such operations expand the ability of Canadian warships to remain deployed and maintain combat readiness far from home.

HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332), commissioned in 1994, is the third Halifax-class frigate and serves primarily in anti-submarine warfare, while also possessing air and surface combat capabilities. (Picture source: Facebook/NCSM Ville de Quebec - HMCS Ville de Québec)