![]() ![]() Navy could buy up to 20 highly capable Virginia-class nuclear submarines for the same price, although the comparison is an apples-to-oranges one because the Navy wouldn't have to pay for infrastructure costs.Īustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019 posing with a model of the upcoming Attack -class submarine. Although that includes the cost of setting up Australia-based production lines, infrastructure, and the means to service the sub fleet, that's an extremely high price tag for just 12 subs. It also lags in hypersonic missile technology.Īustralia was set to pay $66 billion for a total of 12 French-designed submarines, or over $5 billion per submarine (the original price was $40 billion). While France produces the SCALP cruise missile, it lacks a long-range anti-ship missile with a payload that can inflict serious damage on a large warship like a Chinese aircraft carrier. The deal will also continue the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIfire), a U.S.-Australian research partnership to develop an Australian-made hypersonic missile. ![]() Australia will also gain access to the Tomahawk and JASSM-ER cruise missiles, LRASM anti-ship cruise missiles, and the U.S. Still, nuclear subs are only part of the deal. ![]() The new, broader agreement will give Australia ship-launched land-attack cruise missiles to operate off its Hobart -class air warfare destroyers. The advantage of this is clear, as evidenced in the following chart, prepared by the nonprofit Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C.: This allows the subs to travel submerged from the moment they leave port, and stay submerged until they return. Provided with abundant nuclear energy, the American Virginia-class can travel at 25 knots on the surface or while submerged. Nuclear-powered submarines, on the other hand, have just one speed: fast. The subs can run at their quietest by operating off of battery power, but at a speed of just four knots for only 120 hours. This is obviously not ideal in wartime, as it would increase a sub's chances of detection. Even though these subs can travel twice as fast while submerged, they must frequently surface to gulp air for the diesel engine and to discharge engine fumes. As a result, they can travel at a plodding 10 knots while surfaced or snorkeling, and up to 20 knots while submerged. Australia's current Collins-class subs are powered by turbo diesel engines and batteries. Today's conventionally-powered submarines are effective, but have their limitations. China could ultimately operate six or more aircraft carriers. The other powers are the U.S., U.K., Russia, China, France, and India.Ĭhina’s latest carrier, Shandong, didn’t even exist when Australia and France signed their 12-submarine agreement in 2016. The deal sets Australia on track to become only the seventh country in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines. Under its terms, Australia will receive eight nuclear-powered submarines to replace its six conventionally-powered Collins-class submarines (pictured at the top of this story). The new deal, announced earlier this month, is between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The deal includes not only nuclear submarines, but also cruise, hypersonic, and precision-strike missile technology-all of which Canberra decided it needs as it shares the western Pacific with an increasingly large Chinese Navy. Instead, the country will purchase eight nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom. ![]()
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