With the Collins submarines in strife again, junior defence minister Greg Combet has defended plans to build the next generation of subs in Australia.
Mr Combet said the 2009 Defence White Paper plan for the acquisition of a new submarine fleet to replace the Collins class vessels from 2025 had sparked heated debate.
Opening the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) symposium at the Pacific 2010 maritime conference in Sydney on Wednesday, he said the acquisition strategy for the new submarines had not yet been finalised.
"On the back of the Collins project, which experienced cost and schedule over-runs, as well as some well-publicised technical difficulties, we have been criticised for undertaking another potentially developmental project," he said.
ASC designed and built the Royal Australian Navy’s current fleet of Collins class submarines between 1987 and 2003
The Collins submarine project, launched in 1987, was regarded as extremely ambitious because Australia had never before constructed a submarine.
The project experienced extensive technical problems, delays and cost blowouts which until recently appeared fixed.
A series of recent breakdowns and maintenance issues means just one of the six vessels is available for operation.
Defence Minister John Faulkner, addressing the conference earlier on Wednesday, admitted the Collins submarines had turned into a significant challenge for defence.
Mr Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, said DSTO had learnt invaluable lessons from its long involvement with the Collins project which could be applied to the next generation of submarines.
He said the government had a range of procurement options, including buying an existing design, opting for a completely new design or going with an evolution of the Collins design.
He confirmed the future submarines will be built in Adelaide.
Mr Combet said there were important reasons why the government was examining the feasibility of designing and constructing submarines in Australia.
That included creating a domestic industry capable of building vessels meeting specific Australian requirements which were likely to remain in service to 2070.
"The future submarine has the potential to be the most complex and expensive defence procurement in Australia's history, particularly if the government decides to push the technological envelope with regard to its capability, where Australia would be blazing a trail in conventionally-powered submarine technology," he said.
"We must not underestimate the significant challenges that this would present us." (source news.smh.com.au)
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