Sydney: Australia has its work cut out keeping aging Collins-class diesel-electric submarines in service as it transitions to nuclear-powered submarines, firstly to second-hand Virginia-class boats from the United States, and then to SSN-AUKUS submarines designed and built in conjunction with the UK.
Asked about the risks for the Collins-class life extension and the SSN programmes, Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes, head of naval capability for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), said he holds a “half-glass-full view” about the path ahead. “There are always the naysayers, but you’ve got to remember we’re pretty focused on delivering both outcomes.”
“Are they high risk? Sure – schedules, demanding technologies, the workforce is demanding,” he said. “I can list all the things that could go wrong, but one thing we’re really good at in Defence, despite maybe some other commentators’ views, is we’re really good at risk management.”
Defence officials have taken an “integrated approach” to orchestrating the two programmes, from legacy submarines to nuclear-powered boats, which puts the spotlight on getting the transition right, he said.
Much attention was paid at the Indo-Pacific 2025 event here to agreements over potential involvement in the SSN-AUKUS submarine programme. One announcements was about a teaming arrangement on November 5 by four major primes to compete for the SSN-AUKUS combat system. The team comprises BAE Systems, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Raytheon Australia and Thales. The quartet stated they would design a trinational command system as a “shared solution for Australia and the UK,” building on General Dynamics’ existing AN/BYG-1 system. Incidentally, the AN/BYG-1 is already installed on Australia’s six Collins-class submarines.
Another announcement on November 4 covered a strategic agreement paving the way for South Australian firm PMB Defence to supply nickel zinc batteries. PMB Defence is working with BAE Systems, designer of the SSN-AUKUS boat, to enable potential integration of its batteries. Contracts between the two are already valued in excess of $22 million. With Australian companies hoping to seize a slice of the submarine pie, the Australian navy remains optimistic of the capability it will obtain.
