Former divers with more than 500 years of collective service in the Royal Australian Navy warn that a newer version of the Collins-class ship is needed as an interim measure before AUKUS nuclear-powered ships begin to hit the water in the 2040s.
Key points:
- Collins-class submarines will begin receiving major upgrades from the mid-2020s to extend their life
- A group of divers are pushing to find a replacement diver that can be used until the nuclear submarines arrive.
- Swedish-class designer Collins says he is happy to help Australia with a newer model
The veterans, who have served in Australia’s current submarines and Oberon-class predecessor, are asking Defense to consider building a temporary vessel based on the Collins designed by Sweden to address an approaching capacity gap.
In a “serious concern”, the group argues: “Australia needs to keep Collins submarines in operation until 2040+ or acquire some new conventional submarines:”
“The fact is that both are likely to be done, or Collins submarines will be retired at age 45 or older.
“It’s reasonable to wonder if they would still be safe to operate, let alone if they were to be used in a fight. That would be very poor value for money.
“Urgently extending Collins’ life and building more submarines are both needed to maintain current submarine capacity and prepare the industry and Navy for nuclear submarines.”
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One of the signatories of the document is retired Chief of Staff Greg Jones, who helped establish the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Underwater Training Group (SSTG).
Speaking at 7.30am, the naval veteran described last year’s decision to dump conventional French-designed propulsion vessels in favor of a nuclear option as a “knee reaction” that was not properly thought out.
“Everyone is in favor, but not now; it’s too early and we need something that is sustainable and capable of our submarine force, our submarine arm in Australia for the next 20, maybe 30 years before we look at nuclear.” .
Former diver Tim Bass fears Australia’s AUKUS plan for nuclear submarines is rushed as the Collins fleet nears the end of its life and is concerned about possible safety hazards.
“The time it takes to get capacity from our generations of diesel to nuclear will not go by overnight; you’re looking at 20, 30 years to do it right without ignoring massive amounts of security to get the job done, “Mr Bass said at 7.30am.
“Now, I wouldn’t go to sea with a shot that was done correctly, and I don’t think I could find anyone in the country who would have gone out to sea on a ship that has been paved for a couple of years. It’s worth it. “Oh, I think we should.”
The Swedish company that designed the Collins class is offering to help again
Lars Tossman believes that the design of Sweden’s A-26 could be used by Australia as a “gap filler”. (Supplied by: Saab Kockums)
In the late 1980s, a Swedish company now known as Saab Kockums won an international competition to design and build Australia’s new Collins-class submarines in Adelaide.
Saab Kockums global head of business Lars Tossman recently traveled to Australia to talk about the company’s ongoing work on “Extending the Life of the Guy” to upgrade the Collins-class fleet.
While attending the Indo Pacific Sea Power Conference in Sydney this month, Mr. Tossman said at 7.30am his company would be willing to work with Australia if it decided to look for a “Collins son” option.
“The competition we have now, the program we are looking at could be useful for Australia both in the upgrade and if they would like to have something more, we are ready to support Australia,” he said.
SAAB Kockums insists it has not had formal discussions with Defense on a possible interim submarine option, but believes the design of Sweden’s A-26 could be extended to Australia’s needs.
“If they decide to do it, I think the recent experience we have with the design and production of the A-26 modular design could be useful for a gap filling here,” Tossman said.
Defense warns that “third class submarine” would bring more challenges than benefits
Former Secretary of Defense Peter Dutton announced an upgrade of a system in Collins-class submarines in April. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)
Senior defense figures, including the head of the Navy, have consistently rejected the notion of a temporary submarine capability between the withdrawal of the Collins class and the arrival of nuclear-powered submarines.
During this month’s Sea Power conference, Chief Admiral of the Navy Mike Noonan strongly criticized the idea.
“I am very confident, very confident that the Collins class submarine will continue to be a very capable submarine that will continue to meet Australia’s needs until we see the nuclear-powered submarine,” he told reporters.
“Introducing a temporary submarine, I think, would be more challenging than capacity, and it would seem inconceivable that a small navy like ours could sustainably operate a transition from Collins to an interim to a nuclear one.”
Similarly, former Secretary of Defense Peter Dutton, who helped reach the AUKUS agreement with the United Kingdom and the United States, has rejected the idea.
“It’s not in our national interest to pretend we can have a third class submarine; somehow, we can buy it off the shelf,” Dutton said during a defense debate at the National Press Club earlier this month.
“I want someone to tell me where this shelf is, because I don’t know.”
Although Defense Minister Dutton has constantly hinted that Australia could acquire its first nuclear-powered submarines before the current 2040s.
“We can acquire capacity much earlier than some of the experts are projecting right now,” he said.