LEU was only considered for the proposed SSN fleet because the USN opposed SSNs for Canada. Canada's finances after the 1987 economic downturn and various scandals with the Mulroney government killed the idea. One scandal terminated the Canadian $1,000 bill....given inflation since then, it would be useful today. The largest bill here is $100...covers the cost of 60 cans of beer!
Not sure they would want to sell them to us!
I assume the anti-nuclear lobby at the time prevented consideration of a French SSN which in theory should have been more straight forward resulting in the questionable effort of modifying a SSN into a SSK.? Mind you France being France, a Australian-French collaboration on a a joint SSN build in Australia might not have fared any better than the Attack class SSK.
The anti-nuclear lobby prevented the consideration of any SSNs, hence the bastardised ATTACK class design. When that started to go pear shaped and analysts/commentators were pushing various other SSK designs, suddenly AUKUS happened so the push is now for SSNs.
Abbott wanted the Japanese boats, Turnbull didn't like that and went for bastardised Attack class, and here we are!
French now helping Brazil with their first SSN, build in Brazil yard. So I do see French will be helping Australian on domestic SSN, if Australia choose Baracuda base SSN, instead conventional base Baracuda design.
They'll get something post OPV, no doubt about it. Another patrol boat or auxiliary replacement perhaps.
I can't see how larger shipbuilding is undertaken without the civmec facility. It's not just the big shed, but also the fabrication workshops and other facilities that bring all the services together.
I wonder if Austal will be prime, and outsource to civmec. Civmec has always seemed to me focused on the steel part of construction as complimentary to their business, less so about fitout and complete project ownership. Austal is over project management, but the workforce of actual steel hull construction is under Civmec contracted by Austal.
