Nova Scotia attracts globally recognized companies working in naval defense, shipbuilding, sonar and sensing, in-service support, cybersecurity, and training and simulation. The international conferences follow suit in those sectors of expertise, and Halifax is well suited to host them.
Naval Defense
Halifax has the highest concentration of Canada's military assets, with an air force base and the Maritime Warfare Centre. We’re also home to nine of Canada’s top ten defense companies, and more than 30% of all of Canada’s leading defense companies. These are globally recognized companies working in torpedo defense, mine hunting, ship hydrodynamics, naval materials research, sonar and sensing, cybersecurity, and training and simulation.
Learn more with the Naval Defense Subsector Overview
In-support service to the Department of National Defense
Government contracts are bold and lucrative for private industry in Halifax. A few of note: Irving Shipbuilding was selected to build the Navy's new combat fleet, including 21 vessels and more than $60 billion over 30 years; a $182 million contract with General Dynamics for 6 Halifax-class combat systems; and a $72.6 million contract with Fleetway Inc. for a full range of technical data management and systems engineering support services.
Learn more with the ISS Subsector Overview
Shipbuilding
Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is most known for its Halifax Shipyard—a facility that can handle new builds up to 120m. This massive building covers 18,000 square metres of water frontage, and is the largest single such building in North America. But Halifax's marine industry is much bigger than Irving: we lead in fields including acoustic hull design, system electronics, sonar technologies, and computer-aided manufacturing.
Learn more with the Shipbuilding Subsector Overview
Global Aerospace Power Players in Halifax
Although a significant part of Halifax's Aerospace Sector is focused on naval applications, you'll find global groups that also focus on airborne applications. A global leader in aerospace, Canada’s Pratt & Whitney is shaping the future of helicopter and regional aviation with dependable, new generation engines. The aerospace contractor’s Halifax branch work includes engineering, software development, integration, and mechanical and hardware design.
Watch & Learn More
Sit back and listen to the Discover Halifax Podcast and watch a sector overview video:
