At least five and possibly all six of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) Collins-class submarines will have their life of type extended pending the availability of their Attack-class replacements, Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mike Noonan has disclosed.
The admiral told a Senate committee on 20 February that the first of the 12 conventionally powered Attack-class boats would be delivered to the RAN by designer and constructor Naval Group in 2032. It would then undergo up to three years of tests and evaluation before being accepted for service.
Collins-class submarine HMAS Sheean at sea off western Australia. The Collins class could now end up staying in service into the 2030s. (ABPH Joanne Edwards/Australian DoD)
The second hull is due to be delivered in 2038, with hulls 3 through 12 being delivered at two-year intervals thereafter.
“Provided that the programme continues to be funded to this plan, at least five Collins class are life extended. Using a typical submarine learning curve, that being the industry know-how and efficiencies that we gain through the life of the build, I would expect the navy will have a force of eight or more submarines by the late 2030s,” Vice Adm Noonan stated.
Four Collins-class submarines are currently at sea and over the past two years have continued to meet and exceed benchmark standards, Vice Adm Noonan added.
Stephen Johnson, general manager for submarines in the Australian Department of Defence (DoD), told the committee that recommendations on the number of upgrades for the Collins class and their scope would be provided to the chief of navy and the secretary of defence “within the next 12 months”.
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