Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
- Thread starter OPSSG
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Todjaeger
Potstirrer
TBH reading back through the thread, I suspect someone mis-read some of the discussion and interpreted the idea raised of a French SSN having been an option once the Attack-class was canceled and thought that discussion was about the Rubis-class, rather than the Suffren-class which is replacing it.
There do seem to be a couple of things which people to be missing the importance of, and how this would have effectively left the Virginia-class and then the later SSN-AUKUS as the only realistically viable options.
These things are above and beyond the differences between LEU or HEU reactors and which ones could reasonably meet Australian needs.
At the time of the AUKUS agreement (2021) there were three western SSN designs in production, namely the Virginia-class, the Suffren-class and the Astute-class. Given the amount of new information and training needed for RAN crews and personnel to be able to operate and maintain (most of the systems anyway) it would likely take 10+ years before there would be a large enough pool of RAN submariners who had all the necessary training and experiences for a RAN SSN to deploy. It would also likely take at least a little time for the various personnel pipelines to get started.
As @Lofty_DBF posted here earlier this month, the first RAN enlisted personnel just graduated from the USN Nuclear Power Training Unit less than two weeks ago. That means the pipeline has started and will be building up the pool of RAN personnel suitable to serve aboard RAN SSN's but will take time to get enough personnel trained and have them build up the experience required to safely and effectively operate an SSN. Again, figuring about a decade give or take for the more senior enlisted and commissioned personnel to get the relevant experience, this would mean the RAN would likely be in a position to have an SSN crew in the early to mid-2030's. Right now the, this works out to starting around 2032-ish, the RAN might have the ability to operate an SSN. Now whilst there is some (understandable) concern about the US being ready, willing and able to sell a Virginia-class SSN at the appropriate time to Australia, neither France nor the UK were in a position where they could provide Australia with an SSN.
The last Astute-class SSN is currently under construction and IIRC expected to commission in 2026 or perhaps 2027 and again IIRC production of the Rolls-Royce PWR 2 reactor has already stopped.
As for the Suffren-class, it looks like part of their construction time frame takes about a decade from the vessel being laid down, to being commissioned, with operational capability expected after that. This in turn would mean that if Australia wanted a Suffren-class SSN commissioned into the RAN starting around ~2032, then it would need to have been laid down ~2022. In order for it to get laid down, then Australia would need to have contracted to order it which would need to have been completed before hand. Looking at when AUKUS announcement was made (September 2021) and when the announcement was made about Australia seeking to purchase Virginia-class SSN's from the US in ~2032 for the first boat (March 2023) then the selection process took ~18 months give or take. Even ignoring any time required for long-lead items, Australia would have needed select and order the Suffren-class SSN at least a few months before the AUKUS announcement was made. Even if the March 2023 announcement was made in favour of the French SSN instead, and the lead boat was immediately laid down, it most likely would not be able to get commissioned until ~2033 or later.
That timing issue is in addition to all the other very real issues that going with a French SSN design would likely have entailed for the RAN and Australia. One of those issues would likely be the LEU reactor and it's power and energy output as well as the need for periodic refueling (yes, the funny was deliberate). The weapons, sensor and combat system fitout would also likely have been an issue, particularly since it was part of an issue with the Attack-class design. Given Australia's involvement in the development of the Mk 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoe and familiarity with the BYG-1 combat system, I could see how Australia might not be interested in the weapons, sensor and electronics fitout for the French SSN's and possibly some redesign time and work required before the first sub could get laid down.