So Austal are effectively rewarded for delivering a substandard product that has to be replaced at the half life mark because it was on budget and schedule, while ASC is crucified for cost and schedule over runs even though all reports from international experts clearly state that the standard of work completed is world best practice.
Think on it, the fact that the ACPBs are so inadequate means they cannot perform the task for which they were designed and need to be replaced at half their anticipated life therefore are incapable of receiving a life extension, even though it was part of the original requirement. This means the ACPB is effectively three times more expensive than a design that actually met requirements, not counting all the additional structural work they have needed in their short lives.
Total procurement cost for the ACPB platforms was $488million and, although I hate doing a simple division to determine individual platform cost it is perhaps more reasonable to do this for the Armidales as all fourteen were built in only three years, this gives an average cost of $38m. Using this figure the simple fact the class needs to be replaced at half life and is incapable of being life extended means each boat has effectively cost $76m without extension and $114m with. Now considering that HMAS Perth, the final ANZAC, was said to be under $100m, less in affect than a repeat ANZAC would have cost. Using the same calculation for the entire class and you get $976m and $1.464b. This is a very rough calculation that doesn't include operating cost s of a frigate verses a patrol boat or the additional maintenance required by the ACPBs but it does serve as an example of just how much the ACPB debacle has possibly cost us.
Now considering there was a 1300-1500t, steel hulled, 81m, Tenix Corvette / OPC that was cancelled in favour of life extending the Fremantles (another extra cost) and building the ACPBs, that realistically, while a lot more expensive than a patrol boat, would have been significantly cheaper than a repeat ANZAC. The corvette, while being much more capable than a PB and able to supplement frigates on boarder protection, counter piracy and UN operations, would also have been much more durable, capable of operating in higher sea states, over longer ranges and longer periods. They have more space, aviation facilities, including hanger, VLS with ESSM, 57mm gun, Harpoon, the Super Sea Sprite and Penguin would have been made to work (NZ has them now so we could have done the same as them) and, unlike the ACPBs, would have had a long service life still left in front of them.
The ultimate irony is had these vessels been built instead of the ACPBs there would have been no shipbuilding black hole prior to the AWD and assuming the government of the day was smart enough to the give the contract to Tenix we literally would have saved billions. If I seem totally predisposed to the Armidales its because I am, they were incapable of doing the job at hand, are not robust enough to last their expected service lives, have cost far more than more suitable vessels would have and contributed to the issues we have with shipbuilding in Australia today. The fact that Austal is getting more orders when they ferked up so badly is pathetic and shows just how blinkered and narrow minded our political classes are. Delivering a substandard product, that is not fit for purpose, costs far more to maintain than planned, requiring numerous unscheduled repairs and has to be replaced early is fine because it was delivered on cost and schedule, who gives a damn about through life costs or inability to get the job done. Then you have ASC building a state of the art warship to the highest standards at a green fields site after a long break in large ship orders and they are getting caned because our political classes fail to understand they caused the problems in the first place.
