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Now or never for Australia (Analysis)

15th October 2021 - 19:00 GMT | by Harriet Haywood in Aviemore

RSS

Naval Group concept for the aborted Attack-class programme. (Photo: Naval Group)

As the ramifications of AUKUS begin to become clearer, Australia must grapple with various practical, technological and economic factors if it is to achieve its ambitions.

Anyone following the Attack-class (Project Sea 1000) programme in Australia was hardly surprised to hear the cancellation of 12 diesel-electric submarines from Naval Group, given the exponential cost increases predicted for the doomed programme.

Rumours of possible cancellation had surrounded the programme for months, yet Australia continued to discard doubt by reaching an agreement with Naval Group in March 2021. The agreement saw Naval Group commit to spending a minimum of 60% of the contract value in Australia over the life of the programme.

At the same time, Australia approached the UK and US, beginning talks over

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