Submariners push for new ‘son of Collins’ fleet before AUKUS nuclear boats arrive in 2040s

Uta says: First my comment to this article. Can anybody please tell me, why on earth Australians should not be worried about the safety of the submarines until 2040?!! It gave me a shock, to hear about all this a few minutes ago on the 7.30 Program!!

I went to Google to find this article:

7.30 / By defence correspondent Andrew Greene

Posted 1h ago

Former submariners with over 500 years of collective service in the Royal Australian Navy are warning a newer version of the Collins-class boat is needed as a stopgap measure before the AUKUS nuclear-powered boats start hitting the water in the 2040s. 

Key points:

• The Collins-class submarines are due to start getting major upgrades from the mid-2020s to extend their life
• A group of submariners are pushing to find a replacement sub that can be used until the nuclear subs arrive
• The Swedish designer of the Collins class says it is happy to help Australia with a newer model

The veterans, who have served on Australia’s current submarines and the predecessor Oberon-class, are urging Defence to consider building an interim boat based on the Swedish-designed Collins to address a looming capability gap.

In an “Expression of Grave Concern”, the group argues: “Australia must keep the Collins submarines running until 2040+ or acquire some new conventional submarines:”

“The fact is that arguably both must be done, or the Collins submarines will be retiring at age 45 and beyond.

“It’s reasonable to ask whether they would still be safe to operate, let alone whether they should be used in a fight. This would be very poor value for money.

“Getting on urgently the Collins life extension and building more submarines are both necessary for sustaining today’s submarine capability and preparing industry and Navy for nuclear submarines.”

. . . . .

Submariners push for new ‘son of Collins’ fleet before AUKUS nuclear boats arrive in 2040s & More Australia News