Obviously there are solutions, and Australian subs rarely/never visited NZ as it was. So from a practical point of view nothing changes. Collins will be with Australia for decades yet.
Local build here. For sure. Reactor will probably be UK PWR3, but with perhaps US material. Reactor building capacity isn't the problem at the moment.
I am expecting an Astute with US combat systems, much like Ngata mentioned earlier. They are being built in Adelaide, so the scaling up of infrastructure requirements needed to build these will be a factor.
The Oberons did visit NZ so we could play with their P3's..... I had the joy of sailing into Timaru in mid winter .... a submarine bridge is VERY open with not place to escape a draft. Submarine Jumpers a necessity.
If I were a betting man I would say Astutes with a US combat system. For that to happen the US would still need to acquiesce which explains Biden's presence at the announcement. BAE Systems also already has a huge presence in Australia which would speed up the process.
And it may be 12 if you believe this quote attributed to the PM
If they choose Astute class I hope they get a wriggle on as its taking the Poms 9 - 11 years per build to commissioning per sub
Oh Brother, News.com, can't even get the name of the new defence pact right
That's not as dumb as it looks, it ensured no valley of death. The workforce is then able to move smoothly onto the Dreadnought class and its fairly close to what the Attack plan was.
I think the crewing is the biggest issue with the US subs. But the US subs are longer, but I don't think thats a deal breaker.
Long way from FBW..
Nice surge in Timaru too, even when you are alongside. I paid a visit to a RAN Oberon when it was tied up alongside at Wellington in 1981. Can't remember which boat.
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| Boat 7 | £1.642 billion | £1.640 billion |
How can that be if they are getting built in Adelaide?
I suspect because the reactor will be built in, say, the UK, and shipped to Australia to be fitted.
Oberon's were based out of Sydney so yes, it was less of a difference. However, the Collins do deploy to the East noting there are still ships they have to play with there.
It think Redlands is referring to the fact the drum beat for completion the UK Astutes was spaced out to ensure the workforce was kept employed pending the next major project being the SSBN replacement. It avoids the valley of death construction issues, it may also mean there is spare capacity to support the Australian projection. This is all speculation for the time being pending a bit more detail from Defence.
Just comparing the 2 different continuous Sub building plans for 2 different Navies for very similar numbers of subs RAN 12 RN 11 and that they would see them commissioned over a period of about 24-26 years.
My guess is the 8 is an educated guess no more.Not sure if this had been posted, not the most reliable source.. can't access behind paywall
"Australia will build at least eight nuclear-
owered submarines under a historic new military alliance with the United States and Britain, dumping the troubled $90 billion future submarine deal with France."
Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine deal stokes tensions
Australia’s new military pact with the US and Britain has sent shockwaves around the world, with China labelling it an “extremely irresponsible” threat to regional stability.www.google.com