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Construction Underway on Hartlen Point Test Facility for River-Class Destroyers

The site will integrate the fleet’s combat systems on land prior to shipboard installation.

Illustration of the LBTF project. Credit: Government of Canada.
A site plan for the Land-Based Test Facility in Hartlen Point in Eastern Passage.
Construction work for the Department of National Defence's Land-Based Test Facility at Hartlen Point is seen from Cow Bay on Tuesday.
A snowy owl descends while flying between roosts at Hartlen Point near Eastern Passage on Monday. Hartlen Point is a well-known spot for birdwatching.

Overview

  • The Department of National Defence began building the Land-Based Test Facility in November 2025, with completion targeted for early 2028.
  • PCL Construction of Dartmouth is executing the project, which is expected to sustain about 200 jobs over its duration.
  • The complex spans roughly 10 hectares with a 12,567 m2 two-storey main building, a topside area of about 9,100 m2, a 32 m2 gatehouse, and a 271 m2 guardhouse.
  • Hartlen Point was selected for its DND-owned coastal location that supports a 130-degree live transmission arc and the facility is not a weapons testing site.
  • The LBTF underpins the introduction of 15 new River-class destroyers, complementing earlier steps including a production test module start in 2024 and an Irving Shipbuilding implementation contract in March 2025.