Doing either means they can be detected easily on radar. They have to put up “snort” air-intake masts to cover any distance, or run on the surface to cover any distance at speed.
In particular, diesel boats have very little speed or range when fully submerged and running on battery power.
Compared to a 7,800-ton, nuclear-powered Virginia, a Collins lacks range, speed and torpedo and missile capacity. The Royal Australian Navy’s six current subs, diesel-electric Collins-class vessels, displace just 3,500 tons. For Australia, the alliance – which the three governments first announced in 2021 – is a shortcut to a much bigger and more powerful sub fleet. In short, there are only so many submarines to go around and, at present, no extra industrial capacity for building new ones.Īukus solves at least one problem for each of the countries in the alliance. And that could impede the USN’s plan to grow its own undersea fleet. To give the Aussies a head-start on their new sub fleet, the US Navy plans to lease to the Australian navy three American-built Virginia-class attack submarines.
MOTORWORKS NAVAL SUBMARINE PLUS
Yes, Canberra could end up shelling out up to $200 billion for eight nuclear-powered attack submarines plus their manpower and industrial support base.įor Washington, the main cost is an opportunity cost. A new three-way naval alliance between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia promises to massively expand Australia’s undersea firepower – and complicate China’s efforts to dominate the western Pacific Ocean.īut the Aukus alliance, which will facilitate the transfer of submarines and nuclear propulsion technology from the United States and the United Kingdom to Australia over the next 30 years, comes at a cost – and not just a financial one.
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