Non-Subscriber ExtractCollins-class successors could cost $33bn |
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By Julian Kerr
30 October 2009
The proposed replacement of Australia's six Collins-class submarines with a 12-strong fleet of what are likely to be the world's largest conventional submarines could cost as much as AUD36 billion (USD33 billion), a leading think-tank has warned.
In a report published on 30 October the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) argues that the capabilities mandated for the new submarines may need to be tempered by the harsh realities of financial, industrial, engineering and workforce constraints.
The ability of the world market to provide an off-the-shelf solution as the basis of the new fleet should not be abandoned early, the report stated.
"For example, an acceptable compromise might be the spiral development of a smaller, but still lethal, submarine based on an existing design. It could be the case that even this modest suggestion will push us to the limits," said the report.