Australia has much to mull for its nuke sub hull
This is HMS Ambush, the second of the RN’s Astute-class submarines, and a contender for the basis of Australia’s future SSN. (UK MoD)
The announcement of AUKUS and nuclear-propelled submarines for Australia raised more questions than it answered.
On 15 September, in a coordinated move with the UK and US, Australia startled all by announcing it would procure nuclear-powered submarines instead of 12 diesel-electric boats from Naval Group. Subsequent events indicate that its submarine procurement efforts are a disjointed fiasco.
This chaotic situation is manifested by the fact that, on the very day that the AUKUS alliance was announced, Naval Group received a Department of Defence letter stating it had accepted a proposal outlining the next phase of the five-year-old Project Sea 1000.
Indeed, Naval Group had been set a September deadline to submit acceptable revised costings
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Raytheon’s Barracuda completes anti-mine tests as company looks to expand role]()
Raytheon’s Barracuda completes anti-mine tests as company looks to expand role
Raytheon successfully completed tests in February of the Barracuda uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) mine-neutralisation system which the company is building for the US Navy (USN).
-
![UK Royal Navy Type 31 frigate enters capability insertion period with Babcock]()
UK Royal Navy Type 31 frigate enters capability insertion period with Babcock
The capability insertion phase will upgrade the navy's Type 31 frigates with modern systems in addition to those specified during its design phase.
-
![Aselsan completes Barbaros frigate mid-life upgrade project]()
Aselsan completes Barbaros frigate mid-life upgrade project
The upgrade has replaced a significant number of systems and elements with indigenous Turkish technology.
-
![HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries sign MoU to explore shipbuilding collaboration]()
HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries sign MoU to explore shipbuilding collaboration
The Memorandum of Understanding focused on speeding up naval shipbuilding and production in both companies.
-
![Latest Virginia-class submarine, USS Iowa, commissioned]()
Latest Virginia-class submarine, USS Iowa, commissioned
SSN-797 was commissioned as USS Iowa, the first Virginia-class submarine of the second Trump administration. It was described as “just the beginning” of a revitalisation of US naval shipbuilding by Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.
