Sea 1000: Australia's Future Submarine is slow to surface

摘要

Delays in government guidance and funding for the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) Future Submarine programme are now focusing attention on how long the country's six trouble-prone Collins-class diesel-electric patrol submarines (SSKs) can realistically be kept in service to avoid a potential capability gap. As Australia's largest-ever defence programme, the construction of 12 replacement boats under Project Sea 1000, followed by through-life support for 30 years, could land taxpayers with a bill for around AUD40 billion (USD42 billion), according to Rear Admiral Rowan Moffitt, who is leading the development process within the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO).