Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates

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John Fedup

The Bunker Group
Others have better understanding about build capacity but my understanding is both the US and the UK are pretty much maxed out wrt production. Expansion is likely being considered but it takes a significant amount time and effort. Australia can help somewhat but critical Australian supply chain development will be a work on progress building upon Collins and perhaps Attack vendors recently signed up.
 

StingrayOZ

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aluminium and steel fatigue differently. Aircraft also are closer to the minimum due to the need of being light enough to take off. Subs are incredibly heavy for their size. Aircraft have large wings that need to support their entire mass, subs, body lift, they are supported everywhere.

Collins weren't just laid up for a while, but also had limited depth usage, particularly after an accident nearly sunk one and limited them more than their design spec. They have had a particularly light duty life as a structure, and they are a well built structure. RAN CONOP doesn't see them going to maximum safe diving depth.

Toss those engines fit the MTU units, re-battery, re-sensor, and I would go further, I would pretty much gut the whole things. I would lengthen them, I would fit VLS outside of the pressure vessel at the nose like the Virginias. If we are going to be stuck with them until mid 2040, lets do them right.

As for making them in the UK.

1632003679732.png

There are limits to what can be built and where. They now need to squeeze in the building of multiple SSBN at ~17500t each, more than twice the size of the Astute.

While there may be some months where you could weld something up in the hall, it will have to be shifted, and shifted somewhere else entirely. Ideal for a hot start of our production, perhaps a bow section. Perhaps as much as a 1/3 of a boat, but there would be issues beyond that. The Astutes aren't simple boats. Look at that alien profile and chines. The Americans are pipes in comparison.
Ok guys, probably a silly question but here goes. If the systems and reactor are the same, what apart from manning and boat type maintenance, would be the issues of operating 4x Astutes and 4x Virginias? I'm just thinking if we want boats in the water asap, we could have the first of each type constructed in their respective countries simultaneously while we gear up here for local builds....
I would say impossible. That would mean the RAN would have to crew three different types of boats at the same time. The Americans are even more build restricted than the poms. They are putting everything they can into trying to accelerate their sub program, which has suffered some delays.



The current or previous status quo had been for the Navy to drop from building two Virginia-Class boats per year to one in the early 2020s when construction of the new Columbia-Class nuclear armed submarines begins.

The completed study, however, maintains that the Navy and industry can produce two Virginia-Class boats and one Columbia-Class submarine per year, increasing the current plan by one Virginia-Class boat per year.
So yeh, they are squeezing their suppliers to get 50% more capacity from them, annually. While the US will help with technology, training, systems etc, they want Australia to start bloody making submarines. They don't have any time dicking around.

But rather than a tense relationship through a single French prime, we now have the backing of essentially the US and UK governments.
We need to start building submarines likes its 1939. Like our sovereignty, like the world order, like our lives depend on it.
 

Geddy

Member
So the retention of the workforce in Adelaide is going to be an issue with a delay of 18 months or so, I would have thought. So with the money that is not being spent on the Attack subs in the next 2 years, I wonder if building another Hobart Class AWD or something else to fill the “task gap” is a realistic proposition? They did say the Adelaide team would be deployed to help in current and new ship building programs.

The other thing is be interested in hearing thoughts on is, has the choice of vessel been made (Astute) already but just not announced? As the governments statement said

“Over the next 18 months, Australia, the UK and US will intensely examine the full suite of requirements that underpin nuclear stewardship and demonstrate a clear pathway to becoming a responsible and reliable steward of this sensitive technology. Australia will establish a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce in the Department of Defence to lead this work. “

Nothing about selection. It seem more about establishing procedures, systems and protocols. I can’t see how it could be anything other than the Astute class. Just don’t Australianise it!
 

StingrayOZ

Super Moderator
Staff member
At this stage I would just say its the Astute, we can't crew a decent sized Virginia fleet, we can possibly do that with Astutes, if we had lots of UK help. US will still play a big part and will be crawling all over the program.

Two things need to happen now.

We need a full LOTE of Collins. Collins Class fleet to receive $6bn service life extension

Start building Astutes. Order the steel, start making test welds this year. Start a segment production in the UK, hit up the Uk suppliers and supply chain. I expect that BAE uk will have no problems handing work off to BAE Australia. BAE Australia already has suppliers for the Hunter class ready to go.


BAE already have 1,600 Australian businesses registered for their hunter program. Power cable suppliers, network cabling, HVAC, light fittings, plumbing, steel, metalworking tool suppliers, paint. Naval group had basically gone nowhere with their linking to industry in Australia, hence why there were 1,600 businesses fuming at government about not getting work from Naval group. BAE has already done 3 years of this, plus, its been in Australia for ever. I expect BAE to the prime for this program.


Not sure that pizza restaurants will still be needed with the change to unconstrained power budget submarines.
The good news is, pizza is design neutral. They can still be involved. But probably take away. No more long lunches and dinners. Probably won't be listed as one of the 12 local suppliers to a submarine program.
 

Redlands18

Well-Known Member
So the retention of the workforce in Adelaide is going to be an issue with a delay of 18 months or so, I would have thought. So with the money that is not being spent on the Attack subs in the next 2 years, I wonder if building another Hobart Class AWD or something else to fill the “task gap” is a realistic proposition? They did say the Adelaide team would be deployed to help in current and new ship building programs.

The other thing is be interested in hearing thoughts on is, has the choice of vessel been made (Astute) already but just not announced? As the governments statement said

“Over the next 18 months, Australia, the UK and US will intensely examine the full suite of requirements that underpin nuclear stewardship and demonstrate a clear pathway to becoming a responsible and reliable steward of this sensitive technology. Australia will establish a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce in the Department of Defence to lead this work. “

Nothing about selection. It seem more about establishing procedures, systems and protocols. I can’t see how it could be anything other than the Astute class. Just don’t Australianise it!
We no longer have the ability to build a Hobart, would have to restart the entire process. If there is spare funding in the short term due to the Attack cancellation there are better ways to use it then building a DDG we currently have no requirement for.
 

Geddy

Member
We no longer have the ability to build a Hobart, would have to restart the entire process. If there is spare funding in the short term due to the Attack cancellation there are better ways to use it then building a DDG we currently have no requirement for.
No requirement for? There was an option for a 4th vessel in the program that wasn't taken up.
 

Redlands18

Well-Known Member
No requirement for? There was an option for a 4th vessel in the program that wasn't taken up.
That requirement was dropped by the time of the 2016 DWP and has not been added back in since. As per the 2020 Defence update there is no requirement for a 4th Hobart. The whole system put in place to build the Hobarts no longer exists, the organisation created to build the AWDs, the AWD Alliance no longer exists. the workforces created to build the Hobarts have gone onto other things, Only one of the 3 Shipyards used to build the Hobart Modules is still building Warships.
 

aussienscale

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
No requirement for? There was an option for a 4th vessel in the program that wasn't taken up.
Lead times for weapons systems and combat systems are literally years prior to commencement of construction, look at where we are with the Hunter program and lead times for what has already been ordered and contracts signed and when we actually start construction.

Cheers
 

Stampede

Well-Known Member
I wonder if SA will get some extra work for the Arafura Class and the now up to 9 MCM/Survey vessels?
This new WA Fact sheet could be modified to share the load with SA.
MCM/ Survey have been brought forward...................2020 onwards

file:///C:/Users/Lachy/Downloads/ShipbuildingWAFactsheet%20(1).pdf

Regards S
 

Mark_Evans

Member
If we were planning for 12 diesel submarines how many nuclear submarines do we need or are looking for? I keep hearing numbers ranging from 8 to 12.
Do we order 2 from the UK with our workers over in UK learning and build the rest here in Australia?
Do we see if the Virginia payload module is an option in the long term to insert in some of the build?
 

Redlands18

Well-Known Member
If we were planning for 12 diesel submarines how many nuclear submarines do we need or are looking for? I keep hearing numbers ranging from 8 to 12.
Do we order 2 from the UK with our workers over in UK learning and build the rest here in Australia?
Do we see if the Virginia payload module is an option in the long term to insert in some of the build?
Ask the Task Force, they are the questions that will be getting sorted out.
 

John Newman

The Bunker Group
If we were planning for 12 diesel submarines how many nuclear submarines do we need or are looking for? I keep hearing numbers ranging from 8 to 12.
Do we order 2 from the UK with our workers over in UK learning and build the rest here in Australia?
Do we see if the Virginia payload module is an option in the long term to insert in some of the build?
The planning over the next 18mths should answer all those questions, at the moment it’s more of a how long is a piece of string question.

But if I was going to have a stab in the dark as to numbers (the Government has said ‘at least eight’), we could potentially add one or two more.

It may well be that 8-9 SSN is the equivalent of 12 SS when it comes to availability and time on station/patrol due to faster transit speeds and persistence when on station.

As to Astute vs Virginia, that’s a three bears question, ‘too soft, too hard, just right’

Attack was to have a crew of 60 (Collins 58), Astute is 98 and Virginia is 135 - Astute is less manpower intensive.

Attack was to have US combat and weapons system (same as Collins), same as Virginia, Astute does not use that same combat and weapons system.

To me the optimal solution is the Astute hull (hopefully some more automation to reduce manpower requirements), and fitted with US combat and weapons systems.

I’d bet we are going to end up with Astute as the hull, otherwise why would the UK be involved in this project?

To me Virginia is just too much boat, especially from a manpower requirement point of view.

Anyway, just my opinion.

Cheers,
 

hauritz

Well-Known Member
At this stage I would just say its the Astute, we can't crew a decent sized Virginia fleet, we can possibly do that with Astutes, if we had lots of UK help. US will still play a big part and will be crawling all over the program.
I tend to agree it will be the Astute. Boris's gleeful hand rubbing was a bit of a giveaway. From what I have read they have been secretly planning this for the last 18 months so I think they already have a pretty good idea which way they will roll.

The first two Dreadnaughts have already started construction and the last of the Astutes will enter service in 2026. If the Poms are willing to push back construction of the third Dreadnaught maybe there is a chance of having the lead ship built in the UK. Which is actually the way I would try to do it. You could have Australian workers seconded to work on the first Astute while Adelaide did life extension work on the Collins boats.
 

StingrayOZ

Super Moderator
Staff member
If we were planning for 12 diesel submarines how many nuclear submarines do we need or are looking for? I keep hearing numbers ranging from 8 to 12.
Do we order 2 from the UK with our workers over in UK learning and build the rest here in Australia?
Do we see if the Virginia payload module is an option in the long term to insert in some of the build?
8 would appear to fit in with the existing crewing targets set with 12 barracudas, and probably within the budget. As a continuous build perhaps 10 or more subs, but 40 or 50 years into the future is a long way away. Crews haven't been born yet. Tighter synergy with the RN and RAN is entirely possible, we have done things like mixed crewed ships before, the British have based ships and submarines out of Australia before. Emigration between UK and AU is fairly high. There is fluidity. The French offered none of that.

Virginia payload module is overkill for Australia. The Americans are still working it out, its still a development not something we want to jump into yet. BAE is making the VPM's.

For the US Virginia fancy torpedo revolver limits them to only 4 torpedo tubes and 25 torpedo's or tube launched tomahawk.
1632020193806.png

Even Collins can hold 22 torpedo's/missiles. The Americans made up for this with 12 vertical launch tubes. This gives them good strike capability, and able to quickly fire all 12 missiles, while four torpedo's tubes with the quick loading mechanism, means its very good at torpedo fire rates.

Astute has 6 tubes. It can hold 38 weapons, in theory, in war time. The brits may only fire off a few Tomahawks, they only have 65 of them. I would think the next gen of British SSN would have some VLS. But the British want to keep their SSBN and SSNs, putting VLS on the SSN's may have diminished that SSBN need (although cruise and LRBM are completely different the man in the street, they are just missiles). For Australia that isn't an issue.

US might also want to fire TLAM in artic. Pretty hard to fire a Tomahawk through a torpedo tube, through the ice.. Again, these aren't problems we are having. Extremely niche capability.
 

hauritz

Well-Known Member
If we were planning for 12 diesel submarines how many nuclear submarines do we need or are looking for? I keep hearing numbers ranging from 8 to 12.
Do we order 2 from the UK with our workers over in UK learning and build the rest here in Australia?
Do we see if the Virginia payload module is an option in the long term to insert in some of the build?
I don't think the government will abandon its ongoing construction program. The eventual construction drumbeat has yet to be determined and that may be what ultimately decides how many we get. That and our ability to find crews for them.

One determining factor for the drumbeat will be the reactor life of around 25 years (for the Astute). Decommissioning a nuclear sub is no small task so you would probably want to get the full 25 years out of them.

I notice that the UK staggered its production rate to deliver a boat every 2.5 years so I am guessing we will end up doing the same.
 
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StingrayOZ

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dutton is now talking about leasing a SSN.

Asked on Sky News' Sunday Agenda program whether the government would consider leasing nuclear submarines in the interim, Mr Dutton said: 'The short answer is yes'.
'There is all of that discussion to take place in the next 12 to 18 months,' he said.
'Therefore, we don't need a domestic industry around nuclear,' Mr Dutton said.
'That is a game changer for the Labor party and we wanted to make sure that this was a bi-partisan effort.'
Not sure if we are leasing a US or UK SSN. Things seem to change and evolve on a daily basis.
 

Geddy

Member
I’m not sure it’s evolving. Rather, they are playing their cards close to their chest as the 18 month review hasn’t taken place. I’m sure they know what they want for a vessel, the question is how quickly can they get it and gain the experience to crew it. Also, the whole system of safety and the manufacturing and supply details.
It does make we wonder if we’ll see some Los Angeles class or Trafalgar class vessels in Australian waters with Australian crews. Amazing times.
 
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