MoD announces design study in Australia’s biggest defence project

07:59 GMT, August 14, 2009 defpro.com | Australia’s next-generation submarine plans are progressing as the Minister of Defence, Sen. John Faulkner, recently announced a request for tenders (RFT) to complete a design study for what will be the most expensive defence procurement project in the country’s history. The Future Submarine Project, dubbed SEA 1000, is expected to cost nearly $17 billion.

As defpro.com reported earlier this year, the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane, had already announced plans to increase the size of the Navy’s submarine workforce through a new approach. Being concerned that “their long-term sustainability cannot be guaranteed unless we act decisively,” Crane presented the widespread reforms within the framework of the so-called “New Generation Navy” strategy.

As the Australian Defence White Paper of May 2009 had already outlined, the six Collins-class submarines, built by Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC) between 1990 and 2003, are scheduled to be replaced around 2025. The Royal Australian Navy is especially looking for more boats with a greater range and therefore plans for the procurement of 12 conventional subs. "The procurement of Australia's future submarines will be Australia's largest-ever single defence project and will form a critical part of the nation's future defence force," said Faulkner.


Identifying and exploring all options

The development and construction of the Collins-class submarines – planning and development began in the late 1970s – has demonstrated that domestic shipbuilders absolutely have the ability to successfully stem such a mammoth project. As Faulkner stated, “Investigations by the Future Submarine Project Office to date have covered a number of diverse areas aimed at developing an understanding of the capability of the international submarine industry.”

The recent RFT announcement looks at providing the government with a more detailed understanding of what domestic design and manufacture capabilities are available. “This RFT adds to these preliminary investigations by examining Australia’s design capabilities, and forms part of a programme of studies being undertaken to support the planning of Australia’s future submarines as outlined in the Defence White Paper,” Faulkner explained.

Although the wholly government-owned defence company ASC has successfully carried out the last domestic submarine programme and in 2005 has been selected as the preferred shipbuilder for three new AEGIS-based Australian air warfare destroyers under the SEA 4000 project, analysts stated that it is not certain that the company will be awarded with a contract for this prestigious programme.

Following a fact-finding trip of senior navy officials and procurement managers to the United States and Europe earlier this year, the government now seeks to “identify and explore all the options” and schedules to start detailed design of the first boat by 2013. Then Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon had approved funding of $4.67 million for a programme of studies into what Australia's submarines could look like in 2025.


The current submersible assets

The Collins-class boats, in service since the beginning of this century, are expected to be retired beginning in 2025. If new, domestically-designed and built submarines will effectively be available by then, remains to be seen.

The diesel-electric Collins-class submarines, with procurement costs of some $5 billion, are an enlarged version of the Västergötland-class submarine built by the Sweden-based Kockums company. They are 78 meters long with a diameter of eight meters and a displacement of 3,000 tons. They have a crew of 42 and normally carry Mk48 heavyweight torpedoes and sub-harpoon missiles. The ships have six forward torpedo tubes and carry up to 22 torpedoes or anti-ship missiles, or up to 44 mines in place of torpedoes.

Australia’s six submarines are maintained by ASC throughout their operational lifespan under a $3 billion contract. So far, being the most expensive assets in the Australian Defence Force, maintaining and operating the boats amounts to an estimated annual total of $322 million in 2008. The Marine Division of the UK company Babcock supports maintenance work on the submarines. Details on Babcock’s involvement in this programme, as well as on the company’s expectations for the next-generation project, will be outlined in an exclusive interview with defence.professionals (defpro.com) which will be published in early September 2009 at www.defpro.com.


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by Nicolas von Kospoth, Editor


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