Australia To Upgrade All Its Aging Submarines Amid Chronic Delays To Its New French Design (6/11/2021)
By: Thomas Newdick (The Drive)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The costly refurbishment comes as the government confirms its new submarines won't be fully combat-ready until 2054.
By Thomas NewdickJune 11, 2021
- The War Zone
AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Thomas NewdickView Thomas Newdick's Articles
As Australia waits for its 12 new, controversial Attack class submarines, the country's defense ministry has announced that it will spend around $4.6 billion keeping its current fleet of Collins class submarines viable until they can be replaced. Previous plans would have modernized just three of the Collins class, but the ministry has been forced to make the move since the first of the Attack class is not now expected to be delivered until around 2035, while the full fleet won't achieve final operational capability (FOC) until 2054.
Australia's Minister of Defense Peter Dutton confirmed the plans for a life-of-type extension (LOTE) for the six Collins class submarines, as reported by the Defence Connect website. It's a significant investment in the aging Collins class design, the first example of which entered service in the mid-1990s and reflects the latest in an ongoing series of concerns about delays with the Attack class program, which was originally supposed to enter service in the early 2030s.
The Collins class submarine HMAS Rankin conducts helicopter transfers with an MH-60R Seahawk in Cockburn Sound, Western Australia, as part of its pre-deployment training.
The Collins class submarines were designed by the Swedish firm Kockums, which is now part of Saab. These are large conventionally powered submarines, with a submerged displacement of almost 3,500 tons and a length of 254 feet. Details of the LOTE program have not been announced, but the plan is to ensure that the Collins boats remain suitable for combat operations until the Attack class is declared ready for frontline service.
"We need to be realistic about what lies ahead by way of threat in our own region, and the submarine capacity is a significant part of how we mitigate that risk and it's important we get the program right", Dutton told The Australian . "There is no doubt in my mind that we need to pursue a life-of-type extension [for the Collins class]."
LOTE work will commence on each Collins class submarine as it reaches 30 years of service, with a thorough rebuild that will take around two years per boat. According to Defence Connect , upgrade work will be carried out by ASC in Adelaide, which originally built the vessels, while the government confirmed by that Saab will be active in a supporting role. The first Collins is due begin undergoing the upgrade work in 2026.
Dutton admitted the modernization program presented "a tight timeline, no question."
In the background to this latest development, there is still confusion as to the viability of the ambitious Attack class program, also known as SEA 1000.
Back in 2016, France's Naval Group (then known as DCNS) won the SEA 1000 contract to replace the Collins class. The Naval Group's Attack class submarine is a derivative of the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A design. Equipped with advanced technologies, likely to include air-independent propulsion systems, as well as the AN/BYG-1 Submarine Payload Control System, the Attack class is enormously expensive — it's now projected to cost around $69 billion. Back when the French submarine was selected the total program cost was projected to be a little under $40 billion.
An artist's concept of the Attack class submarine for the Royal Australian Navy.
The cost of the program, as well as worries about workshare for the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia that will build the submarines, as well as technology sharing, has dogged the SEA 1000 project. The original agreement required at least 60 percent of the contract value to be invested in local industry.
Exactly why the program has become so expensive is not entirely clear and this lack of transparency on the financial issues has been a persistent source of conflict between the Australian and French sides. However, we do know that the $69 billion includes funds for research and development, integration of combat systems, establishing indigenous production facilities, plus support infrastructure. With that in mind, a unit cost of $8 billion per hull is somewhat misleading. On the other hand, the fact remains that two years ago France claimed that it had budgeted just over $10 billion for a total of six Barracuda class boats that it's buying for its own navy.
Earlier this year, it was reported the Australian government was even thinking of canceling the contract with Naval Group entirely. Instead, thought has apparently been given to an alternative design based on the Collins class, to be built by Naval Group's Australian subsidiary.
More recently, there have been reports that the government is also examining acquiring a German submarine — almost certainly the Type 216 submarine from Thyssen Krupp that lost out in the original SEA 1000 bidding — as an interim measure pending full availability of the Attack class. That would seem an extravagant solution but bearing in mind the Type 216 was expected to come in at around half the cost of the French design, it could potentially be feasible, albeit far more expensive than an upgrade to the Collins class.
A computer-generated schematic showing the Type 216 design.
Dutton noted that there had been "problems with the arrangements with Naval Group," and assured that everything was being done to ensure that contractual obligations were being met. Nevertheless, all this only adds to the delays in actually putting the new submarines to sea and makes the need for an interim solution more urgent.
Earlier this month, as part of a wider overhaul of its leadership, Naval Group Australia brought in a new executive vice president for its Future Submarines program.
Clearly, Australia needs a replacement for its aging Collins class submarines, one way or another. While the costs of the Attack class may be eye-watering, the Royal Australian Navy recognizes the importance of submarines in modern naval warfare, in general, and to Australia, in particular, as a major Pacific naval power. This is especially relevant at a time when China is rapidly expanding its own navy and introducing submarines that are faster and harder to detect.
A Chinese Type 039A diesel-electric submarine, reckoned to be one of the quietest of its kind now in service.
What seems to be the current favored solution — upgrading the existing Collins class while waiting to see what happen with the Attack class — seems risky, but it does at least give Naval Group another chance to put its program onto the right track. At the same time, local shipbuilding industry will be kept busy with repairs works to the older submarines at least until it can begin work on its successor. For now, that is still likely to be the Naval Group design, but talk of more than one alternative under consideration suggests that there is still potential, at least, that this might still change.
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2016 to 2021, no progress.
$40 B anticipated to now be $69B.
First delivery possible by 2035.
Last delivery expected by 2054?
Final cost may be $90B.
Obviously this new leader pulled the plug on the French deal, deservedly so.
Americans can build a nuclear attack sub in less than 6 years.
The French under performed and are over reacting.
Exactly. Spot on.
Macron is a Gaullst fool who still refers to "us" and the UK as Anglo Saxons.
Next he will be talking about quitting NATO.
It's a hard lesson. If you cannot build submarines, you should not be in the business of selling submarines.
It's that simple.
Anoon split...and also refer to us as "English speaking people"...poor French they never did get over losing the Universal language spot to English..
Parle vous Anglaise??
Good evening shona. Actually English isn't the most spoken language in the world. Believe it or not, it's Bull Shit. Every major language group from English, Chinese, Spanish, etc all have native speakers of BS. It is most prevalent among the political class or partisan hacks.
Evening...opppsss silly me forgot about that one...and it is spoken so perfectly around the world...and everyone understands it when they hear it..
In Canada both English and French are equally official first languages, and those of us in Englsih Canada are taught French in high school, (most of which I've forgotten), but I do know that it is Parlez vous Anglaise, je parle Anglaise.. Yes, I knew as well that the French were pissed off because French wasn't chosen to be the international language. English is the language that is spoken in more countries than any other language could be the reason. All pilots who fly international flights MUST speak English, and I assume those at airports who have to communicate with the pilots must speak English as well..
at the current geopolitical stride, it'll all be over by then.
I have noticed that the right wing has suddenly stopped with the "China Joe" crap.
He is still Sleepy Hiden China Joe Biden.
Joe finally got one thing right in eight months. Doesn't mean all of his other destructive mistakes have been forgotten or forgiven.
Actuality, pretty much all of this had been figured out before Biden arrived for the photo op.
Doesn't explain the French recalling Ambassadors and talking smack publicly as if the EU economy was going to be crushed.
it's purely political theater for french voters.
Morning split .trying to save face as we pointed out over charging and production virtually non existant..they will be that out dated when/if they ever arrive..it just shows when dealing with the French they do not produce what they promised, want more money and years behind..we should be charging them for non compliance of their contract....
They can recall their ambassador all they like...no one here is losing any sleep over it..give it a few weeks/months and the French ambassador will sneak back into the country with barely a ripple being raised..
oz is in no danger. that's too long of a trip for the french to make, just to surrender...
According to an article I read recently, which I can't find, suggested that Australia should have bought at least some of the French subs, or one's like it from some other country. The reason is that, according to the article, diesel-electric subs are better for littoral operations than the much bigger nukes and, apparently, there's lots of shallow water in the areas of concern. Wish I could find the article. It made a lot of sense.
They have 6 of those in service, 5 available, the oldest being 25 years old and all built in AU.
They all had their own issues operationally.
They can't wait 11 more years for the French to deliver the first one let alone 30 years for the remaining 11.
The first nuke built by Electric Boat was only 147 ft long and only took 2 years to build and test to 3,000 feet.
Nuclear power contributed to the large size of the Ohio class because of the options it gave the USN.
So a smaller nuclear sub is a possibility for AU which they just didn't want in the past.
With UK & American expertise they will make smaller nukes with the same attack capabilities as the Collins or better.
The current UK nuclear attack subs are only 318 ft long, much shorter than the Americans.
It's a matter of what equipment is more important to the Aussies.
The French have modified short nuclear submarines known as the Rubis class and are no doubt
still pissy that Canada nixed a similar deal in 1989. Eventually the Canadians built 4 diesel electrics in England
240 foot long, with American Mark 48 torpedoes.
During WWII the Japanese had a midget sub inside Sydney Harbor which was captured by the Aussies.
When I lived in Australia an Aussie sub surfaced in Sydney Harbor in front of where we lived. Scared the hell out of a lot of boaters.
Morning Kavika..one surfaced here a few months ago...nearly gave the guys on the trawlers nearby a heart attack...you certainly would not be expecting that...
Yes that certainly put the wind up the country... they torpedoed quite a bit of shipping and lives were lost...two rolled up I think..one was captured and the other got away...not sure what happened to it or where it went as it was regarded as a one way trip by the Japanese...
The reason that I heard that the one surfaced in Sydney Harbor was that it was close to the Wooloomooloo Inn and they wanted to refresh their supply of Fosters.
Yup, that is what I heard when me and me mates were tilting an afternoon midie.
It's my understanding that their torpedo tubes are able to handle, wine, cheese, and truffles.
Hilarious!
Lol .... that's what you get when you go with the low bidder.
From what I have read here the French won the contract as their technology at the time was better than Japan's and Germany's..
Have no idea if they were the cheapest or dearest..it has not be disclosed...
So do you have any details you can enlighten us with??
You could be right.
My comment was made half tongue in cheek and half based on experience. I've been involved in the bid and spec business for over 40 years and if i had a nickel for every time a customer came back to me asking for help. Wishing they hadn't taken the low bid, i'd be retired right now. The more complex the project, the easier it is to knowingly make promises you can't keep. Deep into a project it's usually too late to do anything about it but simply stay the course.
That said if you asked me what country usually has the best technology in anything of those three, France comes in last IMO.
Morning..I would have gone with the Germans..the Japanese were short on technology which is surprising...and they were not prepared when it was announced France and Germany were also in the running..they thought they were the only contender...
Good morning,
Here in the US anyways ...
.....
It happens everywhere. I have a nephew in the Air Force who spent three years of his career working on fixes for our Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) that the vendors promised would not be required.
I'm not sure when the cost overrun problem with military contracts started but it is prevalent all over the world. God knows we've had our share of that in the US as well.
Well, at least I know that by the time the subs are operating I'll be long gone from this world.
Biden has pressured Merkel about the German pipeline, now the French are pissed with him - I'm wondering if things like those are going to push Europe into solidifying with China.
Well, i agree with Biden on this one.
The Euro on a Russian pipeline was very geopolitically destabilizing. I for one was shocked when they signed that deal.
Trusting Putin for something like that? Crazy IMO.
Biden could do that