Chile Type-23 In-Service Support: Sustaining Success Through Collaboration
In 2023, Lockheed Martin Canada completed its crucial work integrating the Canadian-made Combat Management System 330 (CMS 330) on the Armada de Chile’s Type-23 Air Defence Program – but the work didn’t stop there. Following the successful modernization, the team won the in-service support contract, tasked with ongoing maintenance, training, and any day-to-day emergent support needs to sustain the world-class capability they delivered.
David, Program Manager
A Partnership Built on Trust
The program serves the Direccion de Ingenieria de Sistemas Navales, with the Armada de Chile (ACH) as the end user, strengthening the enduring partnership between Chile and Canada.
For Program Manager David, it is this close relationship that drives success: “These projects are built on trust and mutual respect. Our long-standing relationship with Chile allows us to work openly and collaboratively to deliver solutions that bring real value.”
Every day, the team is continuing to build lasting relationships with Chilean partners to deliver customized capability to the ACH, showcasing Lockheed Martin’s global expertise in naval systems integration and its commitment to advancing interoperability among allied nations.
Adapting Global Expertise to Local Needs
With a 6000km long coastline, Chile’s naval requirements are wide-ranging, so David's team works closely with the ACH to tailor the system and processes to meet Chile’s unique needs. The modernized Type-23 frigates feature an advanced 3D radar, new Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system and long-range data link systems, and CMS 330’s adaptable, open-architecture system integrates all these technologies to enable faster, more informed mission decisions and reinforce Chile’s role as a capable maritime partner in regional and allied operations.
One such operation is Rim of the Pacific, a multi-nation training exercise where the Chilean navy benefits from NATO interoperability capabilities to communicate with dozens of navies around the world.
“That’s a big step forward because it means they’re not operating in isolation; they’re part of that peer network,” David explains. “These exercises establish how we work and communicate together through shared situational awareness and coordinated missions."
A Small but Mighty Team
With just six full-time employees located in Ottawa, Halifax and Montreal, the in-service support program benefits from collaboration throughout all of Lockheed Martin Canada, where the team can take advantage of the years of in-depth expertise collected through the delivery of CMS 330 to past programs both in Canada and internationally.
“That’s the benefit of a Canadian-made and in-house developed program,” David says. “You have direct access to all of the CMS 330 experience and knowledge. If I don’t know something, I know someone that does.”
The Chile Type-23 In-Service Support program also partners with SISDEF – a local Chilean company that provides on the ground support, acting as an extension of Lockheed Martin Canada’s team overseas.
Shaping the Future of Naval Interoperability
As the Chilean fleet continues to evolve, so too does the partnership that supports it. CMS 330 remains at the heart of that success as a proven, adaptable system designed to grow with the ACH’s needs. With every new milestone and CMS 330 user, Lockheed Martin Canada is not only sustaining capability but shaping the future of naval interoperability for years to come.
Chilean Type-23 Frigates lined up in Valparaiso
Sunset over the bow