It has been a number of years now since serious problems with the Collins-class subs have been known. Which means now, DMO has full ownership of the problem. Collins-class sub problems are no longer that of ASC or other entities. The full responsibility for the low operational rate, crewing problems, accidents that could someday lead to the loss of a sub with all of its' crew, belong squarely with Mr. Kings even more faulty DMO.
I would say the RAN too but it seems that their decision making ability in this area has been reduced to that of a 1st grader riding on the school bus.
He said the cost versus availability ratio of the Collins class fell well short of the much more contemporary, albeit slightly smaller, conventional boats operated by European and Asian fleets. ''Two years ago … Defence struggled to justify the money being spent on Collins as value for money. Today it would be an impossibility,'' Mr Patrick said.
"For the $600 million-plus annual cost of keeping between two and three 20-year-old Collins-class submarines at sea, the RAN [Royal Australian Navy] could buy a brand new, reliable, deployable, high-end submarine every year."
A DMO spokesman said all would be made clear when the second part of the Coles report into the submarine fleet was released "shortly". It is eight months overdue.
4 comments:
Worked beside Warren King some years ago.
Nice enough chap but always had trouble sorting out the chaff from the wheat.
Not a good rrit to have when surrounded by yes men.
Interesting to know the break up of the maintenance cost.What is the admin proportion?
What could - make that WILL - lead to the loss of a boat and its whole crew, should be ever find ourselves at war, would be the fact that it is a diesel boat, in an age where putting a crew to sea in the Australian environment, with its huge area of responsibility, in a submarine that isn't a nuke, is criminal.
Whats your thinking here? Are range and resupply the problem? Dont get me wrong, diesels are not ideal for global power projection, but the quiteness of diesel subs can be a major tactical advantage. Winslow Wheeler just had a story on battleland I believe about diesel electrics surfacing unexpectedly right in the middle of US carrier battle groups.
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