The Halifax-class frigate, also referred to as the City class, is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Royal Canadian Navy since 1992. The class is the outcome of the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s. HMCS Halifax was the first of an eventual twelve Canadian-designed and Canadian-built vessels which combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats as well. Ships of the class are named after capital cities of Canadian provinces (St. John's, Halifax, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Québec City, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Regina), the capital of Canada, Ottawa, and the major cities of Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver.
In 2007, the Government of Canada announced a planned refit of the Halifax class which is known as the Halifax Class Modernization Project (HCMP) of which the Frigate Equipment Life Extension (FELEX) project is a part. In November 2008, a Lockheed Martin Canada-led team including Saab AB, Elisra, IBM Canada, CAE Professional Services, L-3 Electronic Systems and xwave, was awarded the contract. The construction phase of the program was completed in November 2016. As of May 2021, the Halifax-class modernization program was being closed out, but full operational capacity was reached on 31 January 2018.
