Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0

[old faithful]

I wonder if the time to make a decision is reflected in the reality of time to manufacture.
I hope not, but the reality is as most have observed over the years /decades ship construction is a complicated endeavour that takes time from the starters gun going off to select a vessel, to the physical reality of the first of class being commissioned.
SEA 3000 is ambitious.
History will judge its success.
For now, however frustrating we can only hope the first ships are delivered to meet our expectations on time and equally we can produce domestically to the same expectations.
I can only share the frustration and anxiety.

it’s an ambitious project on many levels.
It’s our plan B , C and D for the mistakes of the past.
It just has to work and regretfully I’m just not that confident it will.

Cheers S

I feel the same.
If something happens to our relationship with Uncle Sam, we are in deep deep water.
Frigates and the Hunters are a long way off, if the Virginas don't happen, we then have to wait for AUKUS subs, which if worst comes to worst, will be auk subs.....

 

[Reptilia]

I feel the same.
If something happens to our relationship with Uncle Sam, we are in deep deep water.
Frigates and the Hunters are a long way off, if the Virginas don't happen, we then have to wait for AUKUS subs, which if worst comes to worst, will be auk subs.....

May also effect Ghost Shark program with Palmer Luckey(Anduril) extremely close to Trump.

 

[Musashi_kenshin]

If something happens to our relationship with Uncle Sam, we are in deep deep water.

Unfortunately, yes. Would make a tie up with the Japanese all the more important. Germany won't be able (even if willing) to do anything in the Pacific in a world where the US won't militarily support Europe, as it's uncomfortably close to Russia.

Frigates and the Hunters are a long way off, if the Virginas don't happen, we then have to wait for AUKUS subs, which if worst comes to worst, will be auk subs.....

SSN-AUKUS was always primarily about the AUK. The US is providing assistance with things like the combat management system, but even Trump wouldn't cancel that - a sale is a sale to him. But it's the UK that's producing the PWR, which is the really important part, and also guaranteeing that the class will be built.

It's also a good reason for Australia to really build up relations with the UK. Unlike Trump we don't see everything as brutally transactional and won't tie Canberra to a barrel just because we can.

 

[Reptilia]

Heavy question... Should the UK continue the production of Dreadnought class for Australia?

 

[Musashi_kenshin]

Heavy question... Should the UK continue the production of Dreadnought class for Australia?

I don't think we can. We will need at least some of the space vacated by the earlier boats to get started with the new SSN class. At a minimum we'd need Canberra to pay for extra shipyard capacity, which would not be cheap.

Also I think that the nuclear threat to Australia is still limited. If China used WMD on Australia because of a conventional conflict, it would mean a global rush for nuclear weapons, which would not be in the CCP's interests.

 

[John Fedup]

I don't think we can. We will need at least some of the space vacated by the earlier boats to get started with the new SSN class. At a minimum we'd need Canberra to pay for extra shipyard capacity, which would not be cheap.

Also I think that the nuclear threat to Australia is still limited. If China used WMD on Australia because of a conventional conflict, it would mean a global rush for nuclear weapons, which would not be in the CCP's interests.

A rush for nuclear weapons is likely underway (or should be) by Japan and SKorea because the US is longer a reliable ally. Other countries will have similar concerns.

 

[Going Boeing]

Heavy question... Should the UK continue the production of Dreadnought class for Australia?

Are you thinking of using them in a converted SSGN role similar to what the US did with the first 4 Ohio class?

 

[John Fedup]

Are you thinking of using them in a converted SSGN role similar to what the US did with the first 4 Ohio class?

Although a Dreadnought conversion from SSBN to SSGN is possible, I doubt either the UK or Australia would want to pay the development costs and the cost for additional subs. A SSBN is of no value to Australia as it doesn't have nuclear bombs and i don't think Trident missiles are part of the AUKUS agreement.