May 6, 2016
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By James Hasik
What might the RAN know that other navies don’t?
The Australian submarine deal is old news at this point. As announced last week,
DCNS of France will
work with ASC (originally Australian Submarine Corporation) over the next three years to design a new class of submarines to replace the existing six
Collins-class boats, built by ASC between 1990 and 2003. The basis of the design will be the nuclear-powered
Barracuda-class submarine of the French
Marine Nationale. The Australian boats will be diesel-electric, but at 4,000 tons each, they will have enough fuel for an operating range of 12,000 nautical miles—even longer than that of the rather large
Collinses. The whole project is expected to consume about A$50 billion in life-cycle costs, and the first boat won’t be ready until 2030, so the program constitutes a serious, long-range commitment. Indeed, in relative terms, it’s such a huge commitment that it makes one wonder what Australians know that the rest of us might not.
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