Should Canada join a Nordic-Baltic submarine program if it pursued nuclear boats or an SSKN version of KSS-III?
Short answerA Nordic-Baltic nuclear program is unlikely because the Baltic strongly favors conventional submarines, while Canada needs a rarer ocean-going SSK suited to long distances.
NotesThe premise of a joint Nordic-Baltic nuclear-submarine program is challenged because the Baltic is considered well suited to conventional boats. Canada's requirement is different: it needs an ocean-going conventional submarine, and suitable programs are scarce. Australia's earlier French choice is used as a comparison because it involved deriving a conventional boat from a nuclear-submarine design. Adapting a hull arranged around nuclear propulsion to diesel power is described as convoluted, without dismissing the proposal outright.