Submarines to receive new batteries

South Africa's fleet of three Heroine-class Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarines are to receive new batteries as part of their “first minor overhaul”, the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans says in two answers to Parliamentary questions.

The battery consists of 480 man-sized cells and weighs 250 metric tons, according to a South African Navy briefing to Parliament last month. Navy Chief Director Maritime Strategy Rear Admiral Bernhard Teuteberg at the same briefing said a battery costs R35 million. He also described the overhaul as "major". 

“In order to ensure that the SAS Manthatisi (S101) will be operational for a period of at least eight years on completion of the first minor overhaul, the SA Navy will procure a new battery for the submarine,” the ministry says in answer to a Parliamentary question by Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald. “Each submarine will, in turn, be fitted with a new battery on completion of their respective minor overhauls.”

Another answer notes the Manthatisi is “presently in reserve, and has been so since October 2007. The submarine is being prepared to become the first Type 209 Submarine to be overhauled in Simon’s Town Naval Dockyard,” the answer continues. “The SAS Manthatisi will be undergoing an overhaul in accordance with the laid down schedules for this type of submarine. The scope of work for the overhaul of SAS Manthatisi is currently being determined.”

The Manthatisi is the lead-boat of class of three submarines acquired for R8.1 billion as part of Project Wills,a component of the controversial Strategic Defence Package. She was laid down at Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Thyssen Nordsee Werke, Kiel on May 22, 2001, was launched June 15, 2004 and commissioned November 3, 2005. It arrived in South African waters in April 2006. Her sisters were both commissioned March 14, 2007. The Charlotte Maxeke arrived in South African waters in April 2007 and SAS Queen Modjadji I in May 2008.

In answer to Groenewald's question as to whether the repairs might be done in Germany, where they had been built, the ministry said the Navy was “not giving consideration to sending the submarine to Germany for repairs. The requisite capabilities are being sourced and developed locally, and these capabilities will form the foundation for not only the maintenance of SAS Manthatisi but also the subsequent overhaul of SAS Charlotte Maxeke and SAS Queen Modjadji I, as scheduled in the SA Navy Maintenance and Upkeep Plan for the Medium to Long Term Expenditure Framework.”

Navy to acquire AIP technology for Scorpenes

The navy’s Scorpene submarines are likely to have increased operational range and also do away with surfacing to access atmospheric oxygen, thanks to the new Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology.

The submarines, under construction at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited, are likely to get the AIP technology that will increase their operational range without having to surface to access atmospheric oxygen.

The navy is considering various options available with it to fit the last two of the six submarines under the project, codenamed P75, with the AIP including the proposal made by French defence company DCNS.

DCNS Chairman and CEO Patrick Boissier, who is part of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s delegation to India, told reporters here that his firm has made an informal proposal to the navy in this regard.

“We have made an informal proposal to the navy for AIP technology in the last two of the Scorpenes that will be built at MDL. Now it is up to the navy to take a call on this proposal. We have held informal discussions in this regard,” Boissier said.

“The navy is considering the proposal and will take a call on it. We have some options, apart from the DCNS one, including an indigenous AIP system that is under development,” a navy officer, unwilling to be named, said here.

AIP encompasses technologies that allow a submarine to operate without the need to surface or use a snorkel to access atmospheric oxygen and it usually excludes the use of nuclear power, but is about augmenting or replacing diesel-electric propulsion system of non-nuclear vessels.

Several countries in the world currently adopt the AIP technology in the submarines that they build and these include the US, Russia, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

Though the Scorpenes, being built with DCNS and Tales help at MDL, did not envisage AIP for the six submarines under the P75 project, the navy’s second line of six conventional submarines, called P75I, which were recently approved by the government, will incorporate the technology.

Talking about P75, Bossier said DCNS was in charge of major transfer of technology (ToT) to MDL for the building of 6 Scorpene submarines.

India’s oldest sub retires

India’s precariously low submarine strength further nosedived on Thursday with the decommissioning of the Navy’s oldest foxtrot class submarine, INS Vagli that retires after 36 years of service.

Commissioned in August, 1974, INS Vagli was commanded by 23 officers in all major tactical exercises off both sea-boards and in the high seas. With its retirement, the naval submarine strength has come down to 14 ageing vessels out of which only 8-9 are operational at any given point of time. The depletion in the submarine strength is one of India’s biggest strategic weaknesses straining the blue water ambitions. “For 17 years, we did not commission a single submarine. It remains one of our biggest weaknesses,” Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma admitted. In 1999, the Cabinet Committee on Security decided to create two production lines for submarines with foreign vendors to achieve an indigenous design and manufacturing capability. While the first line to produce six French Scorpene submarines is operational at the Mazgaon Dock, the second line too received government approval recently.

TNI-AL Tender Ulang Pengadaan Kapal Selam

TNI Angkatan Laut menender ulang pengadaan dua kapal baru dan prosesnya sekarang sudah dimulai dengan sejumlah perusahaan telah mengajukan penawaran.

Ketika dikonfirmasi ANTARA di Jakarta, Rabu, Kepala Staf Angkatan Laut Laksamana TNI Agus Suhartono mengatakan, karena rencana pengadaan sebelumnya belum disetujui maka pihaknya melakukan tender ulang terhadap pengadaan dua kapal selam tersebut.

"Ya sudah dimulai, dan pesertanya bisa dari pemain-pemain lama atau baru. Kami tidak tahu, yang jelas kami lakukan tender ulang karena kapal selam ini memang sangat kami butuhkan," katanya, usai menghadiri Forum Strategi TNI Angkatan Laut 2010.

Pengadaan dua unit kapal selam itu dibiayai fasilitas Kredit Ekspor (KE) senilai 700 juta dollar Amerika Serikat, yang diperoleh dari fasilitas pinjaman luar negeri di Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Negara (APBN) tahun 2004-2009. "Kami sudah tentukan spesifikasi teknisnya, serta kemampuan dan efek penggentar yang lebih dari yang dimiliki negara tetangga, kata Kasal.

Pada tender pertama,d ari empat negara produsen kapal selam yang mengajukan tawaran produk mereka, seperti Jerman, Perancis, Korea Selatan, dan Rusia, TNI Angkatan Laut telah menetapkan dua negara produsen sesuai kebutuhan yaitu Korea Selatan dan Rusia.

Defence to overhaul Collins class submarine comms

Defence will overhaul the communications on its fleet of its Collins class submarines, replacing the existing Communications Centre (COMMCEN) and implementing a new External Communications System (ECS).

The ECS will also incorporate a High Data Rate Satellite Communications link, allowing connectivity to the Defence information environment and the Maritime Tactical Wide Area Network.

The satellite communications system will operate in the Super High Frequency band and allow the submarines to exchange data at rates more than 25 times faster.

The replacement of the Collins Class ECS will provide Australia’s submarine fleet with a modern communications architecture that will meet the future operational needs of the submarines.

According to Defence spokesperson, the project is part of the Communication and Electronic Warfare Improvement Program aimed at improving the electronic warfare and external communications systems fitted to the Collins class through the acquisition of a high data rate satellite communications capability, replacement of the existing communications centre and enhancements to the fitted electronic warfare capability.

The project should deliver a capability for the submarines to use Internet Protocol-based communications and contribute to the Defence’s vision of a network-enabled force, the spokesperson said.

“The current Communications Centre was designed and built in the 1980s and it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain the capability,” the spokesperson said. “Not only are the electronic components obsolete with replacement components long out of production, the architecture of the COMCEN does not allow the processing of contemporary IP-based communications.”

As part of the project, an IP-based LAN environment will be installed through the whole submarine, the spokesperson said.

“In order to make the transition from what is essentially a TELEX [telephone exchange] room into what will become the hub of a network where operators can interact directly with their colleagues requires that the communications capability extend beyond the COMCEN and into the submarine itself,” the spokesperson said.

Malaysia's Submarine Scandal Surfaces in France

A potentially explosive scandal in Malaysia over the billion-dollar purchase of French submarines, a deal engineered by then-Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak, has broken out of the domestic arena with the filing of a request to investigate bribery and kickbacks from the deal in a Paris court.

Although the case has been contained for eight years in the cozy confines of Malaysia's courts and parliament, which are dominated by the ruling National Coalition, French lawyers William Bourdon, Renaud Semerdjian and Joseph Breham put an end to that when they filed it with Parisian prosecutors on behalf of the Malaysian human rights organization Suaram, which supports good-government causes.

Judges in the Paris Prosecution Office have been probing a wide range of corruption charges involving similar submarine sales and the possibility of bribery and kickbacks to top officials in France, Pakistan and other countries. The Malaysian piece of the puzzle was added in two filings, on Dec. 4, 2009 and Feb. 23 this year.

For two years, Parisian prosecutors, led by investigating judges Francoise Besset and Jean-Christophe Hullin, have been gingerly investigating allegations involving senior French political figures and the sales of submarines and other weaponry to governments all over the world. French news reports have said the prosecutors have backed away from some of the most serious charges out of concern for the political fallout.

The allegations relate to one of France's biggest defense conglomerates, the state-owned shipbuilder DCN, which merged with the French electronics company Thales in 2005 to become a dominant force in the European defense industry. DCN's subsidiary Armaris is the manufacturer of Scorpene-class diesel submarines sold to India, Pakistan and Malaysia among other countries. All of the contracts, according to the lawyers acting for Suaram, a Malaysian human rights NGO, are said to be suspect.

With Najib having moved on from the defense portfolio he held when the deal was put together in 2002 to become prime minister and head of the country's largest political party, the mess has the potential to become a major liability for the government and the United Malays National Organisation. Given the power of UMNO, it is unlikely the scandal would ever get any airing in a Malaysian court, which is presumably why Suaram reached out to French prosecutors.

"The filings are very recent and have so far prompted a preliminary police inquiry on the financial aspects of the deal," said a Paris-based source familiar with France's defense establishment. "There isn't a formal investigation yet. The investigation will most likely use documents seized at DCN in the course of another investigation, focusing on bribes paid by DCN in Pakistan."

India's Scorpene submarine programme delayed

India's controversial Scorpene submarine programme was first hit by technical delays, then it faced allegations of kickbacks, and later a CBI probe. Now, it's confirmed that the Rs 18,000 crore defence deal signed in 2005 will not be available to the Indian Navy before 2014.

"We have had delays due to various reasons. I expect the first submarine to be delivered in four years time. That is 2014 - 2015. That's a delay of 2 - 2/12 years. There were certain issues to be addressed with the government and the owner. These issues have now been sorted out and we are placing orders for various equipments," said Retired Vice Admiral H S Malhi, Chairman and MD, Mazgaon Docks Limited.

The impact of the delay could be serious because by 2012 the Indian Navy will be left with only nine of its 16 submarines; the others would be too old to use.

And that's not all. The makers of the Scorpene, the Mazgaon Docks Limited, say the delivery of the first of the six submarines is dependent on when they get the various equipment they are still to order for. If that is delayed then for the Indian Navy and the country, it's going to be a long and tense wait.

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Contract on Scorpene submarine maintenance yet to be signed

The government has yet to formalise the Integrated Service and Support (ISS) contract with Boustead DCNS Naval Corp Sdn Bhd (BDNC) for the maintenance of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s two Scorpene submarines.

Defence industry sources told The Malay Mail that although Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had told Parliament last week that the cost of maintaining the submarines had been capped at RM270 million per year, no formal agreement had been signed.

According to the sources, it is still unclear whether BDNC is agreeable to the new arrangement. Officials from BDNC declined to respond when contacted by The Malay Mail.

However, an official statement on the matter is expected next week. Sources said the formal contractsigning could take place during the upcoming Defence Services Asia 2010 show to be held from April 19 to 21.

BDNC is a joint venture between BHIC Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd and France-based DCNS S.A.

BHIC is a subsidiary of publiclisted Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd. BDNC engineers and technicians are already stationed at the RMN base in Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah, to conduct maintenance and support for KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, one of two Perdana Menteri-class submarines of the RMN, as part of the warranty programme included in the procurement contract.

During Lima 2009, it was announced the government awarded a contract worth RM187.8 million to DCNS for the procurement of operational-level maintenance spare parts and support and test equipment for the Perdana enteri class submarines.

Athens reaches deal in submarine row

ATHENS — Greece on Saturday announced it had reached an agreement with German defence group ThyssenKrupp in a long-running dispute over the supply of four submarines.

The row began when Athens rejected the first submarine supplied by ThyssenKrupp, the Papanikolis, on the grounds that it was defective.

Greek Defence Minister Evangelos Venizelos said a resolution had been found for the deal, which has been blocked since 2006.

"We have reached a solution which should be signed on Thursday and which protects the interests of the Greek navy as it means it will finally receive modern, functional submarines," Venizelos said in a statement released by his ministry.

Media reports in Greece suggest that under the agreement, Athens will acknowledge receipt of the Papanikolis, which will be sold to a third party, and order two further submarines from Hellenic Shipyards.

In return, the defence company will drop a compensation claim for breach of contract, reports said.

ThyssenKrupp bought Hellenic Shipyards, near Athens, from the Greek government in 2005 and Saturday's submarine deal should smooth the way for the conglomerate to shed 75 percent of its stake to the Abu Dhabi Mar group.

Kapal Selam, Tetap Jadi Prioritas TNI AL

Luas wilayah yuridiksi Indonesia yang mencapai 5,9 juta km persegi sangat membutuhkan sarana pengamanan yang handal. Luas perairan nasional yang terdiri dari 2,7 juta km persegi luas zona ekonomi eksklusif (ZEE) dan 3,2 juta km persegi luas perairan kepulauan dan perairan sangat membutuhkan kekuatan kapal selam dalam hal pengamanannya.

Kepala Staf Angkatan Laut (KSAL), Laksamana TNI Agus Suhartono mengungkapkan TNI AL kini sedang memproses pengadaan kapal selam. Rencana penambahan kapal selam ini menurut KSAL telah ditetapkan dalam cetak biru (blue print) kekuatan TNI AL.

Sebagaimana diungkapkan Kepala Dinas Penerangan TNI Angkatan Laut (Kadispenal), Kolonel Laut (P), Herry Setianegara di Mabes AL, Cilangkap, Jakarta Timur pada Kamis (11/3) bahwa TNI AL tengah memprioritaskan pembelian kapal selam hingga tahun 2011 nanti.

"Penambahan kapal selam tetap mempertimbangkan kondisi keuangan negara. Mengenai jumlah ideal kapal selam bisa dilihat dari berbagai perspektif, misalnya geografis," kata Agus Suhartono.

Dalam mengadakan kapal selam, kata KSAL, dipertimbangkan pula kemampuan selam dari kapal tersebut. "Kemampuan kapal selam itu bisa menyelam lebih lama, minimal dua minggu. Itu yang paling utama bagi kapal selam. Kalau kapal selam tiap hari harus muncul yah ketahuan. Harus bisa menyelam cukup lama," katanya.

Direktur Jenderal Sarana Pertahanan Kementerian Pertahanan (Kemenhan) RI, Laksamana Muda TNI Gunadi mengatakan anggaran yang dibutuhkan untuk pengadaan dan pemeliharaan Alutsista hingga 15 tahun mendatang sekitar Rp.400 triliun. Selain itu, ke depan Kemenhan dan TNI akan memprioritaskan penggunaan alutsista dalam negeri. Namun, untuk saat ini beberapa alutsista masih berasal dari luar negeri.

In too deep: Defence anchored by cost of new subs

As Australia prepares to commit to its most expensive defence project yet, military chiefs are being warned not to get out of their depth when buying new submarines.

Defence recently acknowledged that only two of Australia's six Collins-class submarines are seaworthy. (File photo) (Australian Navy)

Defence officials will be burning the midnight oil at their Canberra headquarters in the coming months, hatching plans for an all-out assault on the nation's purse strings.

Their mission will be to persuade their political masters that billions of taxpayer dollars should be committed towards building their preferred replacement for Australia's troublesome and costly Collins-class submarines.

Later this year, the Defence Force will give the Federal Government its wish list for the new submarines, detailing the features and capabilities it wants in the boats. It is expected to be the most expensive defence spending project in the nation's history.

"You can be absolutely sure that what they're cooking up is a very big, very complex, very sophisticated, very expensive and very risky submarine," says Professor Hugh White, head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University and a Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Another leading defence analyst, Andrew Davies from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says he is also worried.

"There are certainly a lot of things to worry about when planning a future submarine project because you'd have to say at the moment the Collins fleet is in a shambolic state," he said.

In an embarrassing admission, Defence recently acknowledged that only two of Australia's six Collins-class submarines are seaworthy.

Of the others, one needs repairs to a diesel motor and another requires repairs to one of its electric generators. Two more will be out of service for long-term maintenance for at least four years - a significant chunk of the submarines' projected operational life span.

Defence wants to replace the Collins boats by 2025.

"We've seen with Collins that developing your own submarine is a pretty fraught activity," Dr Davies said.

"You'd have to say the results, as we stand here today, are disappointing."

Autopilot Systems for Second Series of U212A Submarines

Avio has signed a contract with the Naval Division of the Fincantieri Company for the development and manufacture of two Autopilot systems for the second series of U212 A submarines, destined for the Italian Navy.

Thanks to this contract, worth about EUR 6 million, the overall number of U212 autopilot systems for Avio has risen to eight: four already supplied to the German Navy and two to the Italian Navy for the first construction lot.

In this order, some modernisation has also been included with respect to the previous version.

Production will begin this year – March is envisaged; the working team involved in the project will be that of Naval Automation at the Rivalta di Torino industrial site.

The two U212A submarines will be delivered to the Italian Navy, respectively, in 2015 and 2016.

It is foreseen that Avio deliver the first autopilot in March 2013, and the second by 2014. These will then pass to the shipyard test sessions.

China concerned by ASEAN subs

China is concerned by the buildup of ASEAN submarine fleets in seas bordering China, a top Navy official said on Saturday.

According to the Zhongguo Xinwen news agency, Rear Adm. Yin Zhuo said members states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were seeking to dominate the southern seas and thus posed a threat to China.

"If this continues at the current rate, in several years the ASEAN countries will create powerful naval forces," the admiral said, stressing that "this is naturally becoming a challenge to neighboring countries, including China."

He referred in particular to Vietnam which had signed a contract to buy submarines and started building a submarine base east of the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Stuck On The Surface

Five months ago, Malaysia received the first (the "Tunku Abdul Rahman") of two Scorpene class subs it purchased from France. This was supposed to be followed by some more testing. The "tropical water trials" where to have been completed last month. But shortly after the Scorpene boat arrived, several defective components were discovered (in air conditioning and diving equipment). It took over three months to get that fixed, and during that time, the plumbing problems prevented the boat from submerging. The tropical water trails are to begin before the end of the month. If the trials are successful, the sub will enter active service in May. The second Malaysian Scorpene boat will undergo initial trials in France this year.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman already has plenty of experience with long voyages, just getting to Malaysia. The voyage from France was 54 days long, with several stops along the way. Not all 54 days were at sea, but 42 (32 submerged, ten on the surface) were, and that's an extraordinary long voyage (over 10,000 kilometers) for a sub of this size (under 2,000 tons). The stress of this trip apparently led to the problems discovered when the boat arrived in Malaysia.

These are basically coastal subs, built to defend local waters. In peacetime, these boats rarely stay at sea for more than a week at a time. These boats have only one toilet, and limited fresh water supplies. Thus the sailors got about one shower a week. There is also no proper kitchen, and the crew subsisted on prepared meals, that were boiled before eating (sort of super MREs). Thus, after passing through the Suez Canal, the "Tunku Abdul Rahman" stopped at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and then Djibouti. The longest stretch was from there to Cochin (Kochi) in southern India, where there was a three day layover. From there, the boat made the final leg of its voyage straight to Malaysia.

Submarine completes dive successfully

Malaysia’s first submarine, the Scorpene-class KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, successfully underwent underwater trials in the South China Sea yesterday.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a technical team was aboard during the submarine’s dive to monitor its progress under water.

“The dive was successfully completed by 4pm. Everything was pronounced to be okay,” Dr Ahmad Zahid said in an SMS.

The trials were carried out at the Royal Malaysian Navy base in Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah.

It was earlier reported that the KD Tunku Abdul Rahman was unable to dive after a mechanical defect was discovered by engineers.

The problem forced the delay of its test in tropical waters, which was supposed to be completed at the end of last month.

Last week, Zahid said the technical defect, which affected the submarine’s high-pressure air valve system, had been rectified by the manufacturer and contractor under a warranty agreement.

The submarine arrived in Malaysia in September last year.

Repair Works On KD TAR Completed

Malaysia's first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman (KD TAR) which was reported to have a mechanical fault, has been completely repaired and is expected to be go under water on Feb 22, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

He said the supplier and local engineers had tested the submarine and found that it was now functioning properly and that the mechanical fault had been fully repaired.

"There is no cost to be borne by the government because the submarine is still under guarantee and let's not make any speculation about this," he told reporters after opening the Armed Forces Maal Hijrah celebration at the Wisma Pertahanan, here Friday.

The fault on the submarine was detected on Jan 17, following maintenance work conducted at the Royal Malaysian Navy base in Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah.

The damage involved a part that channels water pressure movement which caused the submarine's failure to go under water.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said rumour that the construction of Gong Kedak Air Force base in Kelantan did not meet the required specifications should not be entertained until investigation on the matter was completed.

New Submarine Project Office to be formed

A new Australian Submarine Program Office will be established in Adelaide in March, Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, has announced.

"The establishment of the joint Australian Submarine Program Office is a vital step towards achieving the submarine output Government expects," Combet said.

HMAS Farncomb is scheduled for maintenance at ASC West following the recent electrical failure of one of its three main generators.

"The idea for a new project office follows discussions between the Navy, the Defence Material Organisation and ASC Pty Ltd on how better results can be achieved.

"The Government has made clear to all parties involved in the maintenance of the Collins class submarines that we expect better results.

"We understand this will take time but we are determined to see an improvement.

"This marks the start of a new partnership between Navy, the DMO and ASC which will set the basis for a strong and enduring submarine capability over the next decade."

The Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Russell Crane, DMO Program Manager Submarines Kim Gillis, and CEO of ASC Pty Ltd Steve Ludlam met to develop a new charter to drive the relationship between the three key players in Australia's submarine force.

"Discussions between the parties have also focused on a way forward for HMAS Farncomb's generator repairs and a maintenance schedule change which will improve overall submarine availability," Combet said.

HMAS Farncomb is scheduled for maintenance at ASC West following the recent electrical failure of one of its three main generators.

The office will commence work in March and will operate as an integrated product team of Navy, DMO and ASC personnel led by DMO's Director General Submarines Commodore Bronko Ogrizek.

Given the coals that the submarine team were dragged over at Senate Estimates last week (Hansard can make for interesting reading sometimes), the move can't come soon enough.(source australiandefence)

Malaysian Scorpene submarine develops snags

Kuala Lumpur: Just five months after induction, Malaysia's first submarine, a French made Scorpene has developed serious problems, raising question mark over India's acquisition of the same deepwater warfare machine.

The defects in the submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, named after country's first Prime Minister, have delayed navy's tropical water trials which had to be stopped as the vessel was found unfit for diving, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters.

The submarine, the first of the two, was purchased for a staggering 3.4 billion ringgits (USD 961 million). The defects forced a three-month delay in the completion of the trials with the manufacturer DCNS (France) having to extend the warranty.

Navy Chief Abdul Aziz Jafar told Malay Mail that the problems have emerged in the submarine's cooling system last December and then again last month.

"We hope the manufacturer rectify the faults so we can complete the trials," he said. The Malaysian Navy is expecting the delivery of its second submarine by May.

The acquisition of the submarine has been embroiled in controversy with opposition claiming that huge kickbacks had been paid to the ruling party leaders.

New Australian Submarine Program Office to Place Increased Focus on Submarine Availability

Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, today announced that a new Australian Submarine Program Office will be established in Adelaide next month.

“The establishment of the joint Australian Submarine Program Office is a vital step towards achieving the submarine output Government expects,” Mr Combet said.

“The Australian Submarine Program Office will be established in Adelaide to jointly manage submarine availability required by Government.

“The idea for a new project office follows discussions between the Navy, the Defence Material Organisation and ASC Pty Ltd on how better results can be achieved.

“The Government has made clear to all parties involved in the maintenance of the Collins Class Submarines that we expect better results. We understand this will take time but we are determined to see an improvement.

“This marks the start of a new partnership between Navy, the DMO and ASC which will set the basis for a strong and enduring submarine capability over the next decade,” Mr Combet said.

The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russell Crane, DMO Program Manager Submarines, Mr Kim Gillis, and CEO of ASC Pty Ltd, Mr Steve Ludlam, met to develop a new charter to drive the relationship between the three key players in Australia’s submarine force.

Reputation of Collins class subs takes a further dive

TWO of Australia's six trouble-wracked Collins class submarines will not return to sea until they have been of action for a total of at least nine years.

The revelation is another blow to the reputation of Australia's multi-billion dollar submarine fleet, which has been dogged by problems since HMAS Collins was launched in 1996.

It was also revealed yesterday that the federal government is demanding $5 million in compensation from the Australian Submarine Corporation over defects that have kept HMAS Collins incapacitated.

Under the contract with the government, which is worth $170 million a year to the corporation, that is the maximum compensation payable, a senate estimates committee heard.

Questioned by the Coalition defence spokesman, David Johnston, the Chief of Navy, Russ Crane, admitted that HMAS Rankin had been inoperable for two years and would be for another three years. Similarly, the sister ship HMAS Sheean had been laid up for two years and would not put to sea for another two years, Vice-Admiral Crane said.

HMAS Farncomb was recalled to port last week after a generator failure, while HMAS Collins is on restricted operations because of problems with its diesel engine.