It is easier to sell a foggy concept for the 2030s when most politicians won't be around than it is to take some brave action now.
So, Collins submarines will be upgraded to some degree. Maybe they will be replaced. Maybe we will know in a few years. It is also, using the throw-away word of the defective Entrenched Defence Bureaucracy, "complex".
"Head of navy capability Jonathan Mead said he was confident the upgrades would mean the Collins would not be overtaken by other nations' submarines in the region."
This is hard to say because the diesel power-plant for the Collins is difficult. A remove and replace for that is difficult with the fuel system and other plumbing. Should be interesting how competitive the old subs are compared to overall reliability to go to sea and not break.
"The former prime minister made clear during a weekend speech in Japan that he favoured that country's bid – finally confirming what observers have long believed."
See again, the rigged game.
"He said Japan's bid was "strategic" as opposed to rivals Germany and France's "commercial" bids, and suggested that the US might not supply its most advanced weapons system if Japan doesn't win – a view US and Australian officials have denied."
If you haven't risk-assessed Lithium-Ion batteries for sub ops, stretching the boat 6-8 meters (pro-tip: buoyancy budget), having efficient Japanese project managers dealing with a deskilled, moronic Entrenched Defence Bureaucracy, you can be labelled an idiot. That and some more risks. As an aside, look at this excellent piece on submerged energy issues. Well done.
"Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said Mr Abbott's remarks "show a breathtaking contempt for the competitive evaluation process".
Concur. In some countries you would go to jail.
Finally:
"Sean Costello, chief executive DCNS Australia, the firm behind the French bid, said: "DCNS Australia maintains complete faith in the Turnbull government's competitive evaluation process."
LOL.
More leaks? It appears so. Commenting on an active bid.
With Australia’s release of its defense white paper last week, the race to build the country’s next generation of submarines enters the home stretch — and some experts say the Japanese bid appears to hold an insurmountable lead.
“The DWP (Defense White Paper) strongly stresses the importance of further strengthening U.S.-Japanese defense relations and is also quite vocal about China’s challenge to the rules-based order in maritime Asia,” Ben Schreer, a professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, said.
“In my view, it’s highly likely that the Turnbull government will choose the Japanese design for strategic and technological reasons, and the DWP has added weight to this,” he said, referring to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
What technology other than the untested-in-a-representative-operational-boat, Lithium-Ion batteries? Their AIP is licensed from Swedes who were specifically excluded from bidding for a Collins replacement. Other tech comes from somewhere else. Hardly exclusive.
The white paper says the country’s submarine force will be increased from six to 12 “regionally superior submarines with a high degree of interoperability with the United States.”
Requirements include the submarines having “a range and endurance similar” to the Collins class of vessels that the Royal Australian Navy currently operates, as well as “sensor performance and stealth characteristics superior” to its current subs.
All interesting considering the Soryu's short legs compared to a Collins.
Without proper, government program risk-assessment, the following is a container of wishful-thinking nonsense.
“First and foremost, we’ve made a big strategic commitment to Japan based on this view of where the region is heading,” said Nick Bisley, a professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. “There is bipartisan support … both sides think this is a really good idea. … That plus the operational side — the Japanese submarine is most similar to ours — will tilt the balance very heavily in their favor.
Blue-sky marketing.
Japan has said it is willing to build at least some of the submarines in Australia, a key economic factor that until recently Tokyo had been apparently unwilling to commit to. Tokyo has also reassured Canberra that if it wins the sub bid Japan will also share with Australia its naval crown jewels — its most secret stealth technology.
Really?
“Although the European options would provide longer-term strategic flexibility, it seems likely that the final decision will go the way of the Japanese,” Bateman said, adding that Australia will face difficulties sustaining the subs if not acting in concert with Japan.
A few points. The euro effort is lower risk because they have experience dealing with numerous submarine customers. Ask for the Japanese deal, without true, risk assessment and you will see the mother of all items on the Project of Concern List.
No comments:
Post a Comment