The Australian Submarine Corporation can take part in the tender process to build Australia’s new submarines, provided it works with an international partner.
France, Germany and Japan will be invited to formally enter the contest to build Australia’s new submarines in a process which does not rule out construction in Adelaide.
But culled from the shortlist is Sweden - which designed Australia’s Collins class submarines - because it has been almost two decades since the last Swedish sub rolled off a production line.
Prime minister Tony Abbott said designing and building subs was about the most complex sophisticated process imaginable - akin to building the space shuttle - and just a few countries could do it.
The US and UK now only build nuclear submarines, while Australia usually does not buy such equipment from Russia or China.
“There’s Germany and France that are involved in a wider range of submarines and Japan which builds the best large conventional submarine in the world,” he told reporters in Adelaide.
Under the process announced on Friday, France, Germany and Japan will be asked to supply designs able to meet Australia’s requirements, options for construction in Australia, overseas or both, rough costings, and their positions on issues such as intellectual property.
The desired submarine will feature long range and endurance comparable to Collins but superior sensor performance and stealth.
It would be equipped with the US combat system and the US Mark-48 heavyweight torpedo, as now used on the Collins.
Abbott said this was a clear and defensible process to come up with some good options from which a choice could be made by year’s end.
He said under any possible scenario, there would be more submarine work in Adelaide.
The navy’s six Collins subs would remain in service for another two decades and they would continue to be maintained by shipbuilder ASC.
EXCLUSIVE: Swedish defence giant Saab Group has launched an audacious bid to build the Australian navy’s future submarine.
In a move that could mean thousands of jobs for South Australia and other states, industry sources have told News Corp Australia that Saab Group has presented a three-pronged strategy to secure the $20 billion plus Federal Government contract.
It includes a lower price than its competitors and a smooth flow of Japanese submarine technology from the Soryu Class boat, because Sweden is a partner in the Japanese project.
There will also be substantial technology transfer and industrial offsets for Australia, including jobs in Adelaide during the build phase, and a raft of new defence industries
Saab Group recently reclaimed former Swedish submarine builder Kockums from German giant Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and is moving fast to win the $20 billion plus Australian contract.
“We are aware that an unsolicited proposal was sent to Defence,” the spokesman said.
The company’s global chief executive officer Hakan Buskhe will publicly launch the plan in Fremantle next Tuesday (NOV11) during the Submarine Institute of Australia’s centenary conference.
Kockums was the design and build partner for the navy’s controversial Collins Class submarine and Saab Kockums wants to extend the relationship into the next generation of conventionally powered vessels.
The company builds the Gotland Class submarine — the first boat in the world equipped with air independent propulsion — that is widely regarded as one of the most stealthy submarines in the world.
During recent exercises with the US Navy off California HMS Gotland “sank” a nuclear powered submarine as well as the pride of the US Fleet the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Her crew captured periscope images of the carrier to prove the “kill”.
According to well-placed sources heavy lobbying and fears about an electoral backlash in South Australia have pushed the government to back away from earlier plans to simply buy the Japanese Soryu Class boat straight “off the shelf”.
Both the Swedes and Germans are offering brand new vessels to meet the navy’s key requirements of size, range and stealth.
News Corp Australia also understands that the government is set to launch a project definition study before the end of 2014 for the nation’s biggest defence project that includes Japanese, Swedish, German and French options.
Treasurer Joe Hockey confirmed that an announcement was imminent.
“We need to decide quickly and whatever we do decide will be in the best interests of the entire nation,” Mr Hockey said.
It is understood that Mr Buskhe will meet with Senator Johnston next week to discuss the Saab bid.
En juillet dernier, l’Australie et le Japon ont signé un accord commercial. Depuis, les rumeurs enflent concernant l’achat de sous-marins japonais par Canberra. Un événement plus significatif qu'il n'y parait, autant pour le Japon que pour l‘Australie, et susceptible de changer la donne sécuritaire dans la région. Décryptage....
...Face aux débats, le choix s’est porté sur le Soryu de fabrication japonaise. Or, ce transfert technologique, fruit de 30 ans de recherche nippone, est controversé. Déjà pour de nombreux Japonais, leur technologie ne devrait pas être exportée. De plus, l’Australie risque de beaucoup perdre dans ce marché historique plutôt que de s’assurer une position confortable. En effet, la construction de ces concentrés technologiques se ferait au Japon. Cette perspective promet d’être fructueuse pour l’économie japonaise, moins pour l’industrie et l’emploi australiens. Une petite entorse au Livre Blanc australien qui promettait que ces sous-marins seraient assemblés dans le sud de l’Australie et alimenteraient les chantiers navals nationaux. Mais la fabrication par l’ASC Adelaïde coûterait deux fois plus cher qu’une fabrication sur l’archipel. Le dilemme de l’Australie frôle les 60 milliards de dollars. Le gouvernement tente de justifier son choix par les restrictions budgétaires nécessaires...
Lire l'intégralité de l'article sur le site ENDERI :
Malgré les développements récents qui ont suivi l'accord commercial de juillet dernier, l'affaire semble encore loin d'être conclue. Le gouvernement de la Province d'Australie du Sud pousse pour conserver une construction en Australie de ces sous-marins sur les chantiers d'Adelaïde et convoque un sommet sur ce sujet pour très bientôt :
De plus, DCNS cherche très vraisemblablement à revenir dans la course avec la présentation au salon Euronaval d'un nouveau projet de sous-marin conventionnel (SMX Ocean) de fort tonnage et de grande autonomie susceptible de répondre aux exigences de la Marine australienne :
HELSINKI — With the clock ticking, Saab has pitched a late-hour proposal to the Australian government that could alter the outcome of that country’s submarine acquisition program, which had up to now been concentrated on bids by German and Japanese firms.
Australia’s Future Submarine project remains in a state of political flux after Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s ruling Liberal Party raised the possibility of the new submarines being built outside Australia. Such a move has been criticized by opposition leaders as a significant policy re-positioning action by the government that favors Japan’s Kawasaki/Mitsubishi’s Soryu-class offering. Germany’s ThyssenKrupp is offering its Type 214 design.
The Australian government has yet to confirm the exact number of submarines that will be ordered. The figure being discussed by Abbott’s Cabinet ranges from eight to 12.
Saab has informed the Australian government of its “readiness and capability” to deliver the advanced made-to-order next-generation submarines it requires.
Saab CEO Håkan Buskhe emphasized that while the company is not yet presenting a formal bid, it will do so if “the customer is prepared to listen to what we have to offer” and willing to open the competition to a bid from Saab.
The real motivation behind Saab’s “late-hour” declaration of interest in the AUS $20 billion to $30 billion (US $18 billion to $27 billion) Australian Future Submarine project stems from Saab’s $49.6 million acquisition, completed in July, of ThyssenKrupp’s submarine shipyard assets in Sweden. These are centered around the naval vessel design and construction company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS, formerly Kockums).
“It may seem late in the day for Saab to put a fresh offer forward, but I believe the good relations between Saab, and the history that exists between Kockums and the [Australian] Collins-class subs, validates the company’s decision to make this approach to the Australian government,” said Allan Widman, the Swedish Liberal Party’s spokesman on defense.
Saab’s acquisition of TKMS, which was strongly backed by the Swedish government, was partly driven by fears that ThyssenKrupp was not alone planning to dismantle the Swedish operation’s capability to design and produce large-sized submarines, but transfer related core technologies to Germany.
ThyssenKrupp, which owns German submarine maker HDW, acquired Kockums in 2005.
The Swedish government’s loss of confidence in ThyssenKrupp as a long-term partner to lead the Swedish A26-class submarine program was also based on a decision by the German industrial group to downsize TKMS’s export operations and restrict the company from the freedom to independently bid on major ongoing submarine construction projects in Australia, Singapore and Norway.
TKMS, which has been reorganized into Saab Kockums AB, is now on course to design and build Sweden’s new A26-class submarines and modernize part of the Royal Swedish Navy’s Gotland-class submarine fleet.
(Reuters) - Australia should discuss building its next-generation fleet of submarines overseas, the Department of Defence said on Monday, a shift that could open the door to a partnership deal with Japan that carries political risk at home and abroad.
Australia is looking for partners to help it build about a dozen diesel-electric submarines to replace its aging Collins Class fleet and help to extend its maritime surveillance deep into the Indian Ocean.
The proposed A$40 billion fleet of submarines is at the core of the nation's maritime defence strategy over the next two decades. Successive governments have pledged to build the vessels in Australia, creating much-needed manufacturing jobs.
The Department of Defence's 50-page Defence Issues Paper 2014, issued on Monday, is part of a public consultation process on a major strategic forces assessment due out next year.
In it, the department echoed previous concerns about cost raised by Defence Minister David Johnston.
"There is significant debate emerging about the future submarine and whether it should be built in Australia. This debate must consider the cost, risk and schedule as well as the benefits of the different options," the department said in the paper.
"What other military capability might be forgone if monies are committed to industries that do not meet international benchmarks?”
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has struck a tough stance towards struggling industries, declining to bail out anaemic auto manufacturers in a move that deepened acrimony between his government and trade unions.
Any decision to move construction of the submarine fleet overseas would likely cause a further backlash from working class voters.
MADE IN JAPAN?
Japan is considered one of the most likely beneficiaries if Australia does change its stance.
This month, Abbott and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed an agreement on military equipment and technology transfers.
Mirroring a partnership concluded with Britain a year ago, it establish a framework for industrial cooperation that could pave the way for a submarine deal with Australia.
Abe has been forging a more assertive defence posture in his year-and-a-half in office. In April, he eased a four-decade ban on military exports, which could allow Japan to ship submarine components or even completed vessels to Australia.
A deal would also help connect Japanese arms-makers like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries to the world market for big, sophisticated weaponry.
It is also possible that Australia could purchase submarine hulls from Germany or Sweden and then opt to buy Japanese drive trains for the vessels.
Participants in a joint-development deal could include Britain's BAE Systems and state-owned Australian Submarine Corp, which maintains the nation's current fleet.
Experts say a Japan-Australia deal would send a signal to China of Japan's willingness to export arms to a region wary of Beijing's growing naval strength, especially its pursuit of territorial claims in the East and South China seas.
They warn, however, that the deal may not be viewed favourably in China, Australia's biggest trading partner and the region's emerging superpower, adding a layer to the political considerations for Australia.
Australia could buy "jump-jet" Joint Strike Fighters to base aboard new landing ships, giving the nation its first aircraft carrier since the early 1980s.
Defence Minister David Johnston told The Weekend West _the Government was considering buying the "B" model of the F-35 - a specialised variant of the stealth jet being built to operate from aircraft carriers.
Last month, Australia committed to buying 72 of the conventional model F-35s from US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin at a cost of almost $20 billion.
But the Government has left the door open to buying more F-35s and the minister says the F-35B will be considered.
"Now that aircraft is more expensive, does not have the range but it's an option that has been considered from day one," Senator Johnston said.
The F-35B has a shortened take-off distance and can land vertically, just like the legendary Harrier jump jet.
The British Navy and the US Marines are buying the F-35B to station aboard aircraft carriers.
Australia is soon to bring into service two large ships called landing helicopter docks. Though they resemble small aircraft carriers, the Government has maintained until now they would be used only to deploy helicopters and troops.
Senator Johnston said stationing the F-35 aboard an LHD would be costly and technically challenging, but it could be done.
"The deck strength is there for such an aircraft," he said.
The Hawke government mothballed Australia's last aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, in 1982.
Commissioning an aircraft carrier is considered a significant strategic statement of military might by a country.
China recently launched its first aircraft carrier. The sea trials are being watched closely.
The F-35B has less range than the conventional F-35 owing to the complex systems of jets used to allow it to land vertically.
The B variant has been the most trouble-plagued of the three F-35 models. Testing was stalled this year after cracks were discovered in the aircrafts' bulkheads.
The F-35 will replace Australia's fleet of F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet aircraft, due to be withdrawn in 2022.
The Australian government would spend around 3 billion Australian dollars to purchase seven large unmanned aircraft for the country's border protection, local media reported Saturday. The aircraft would be primarily used for military purposes such as spotting enemy ships and planes in a conflict, but they can also be used to detect asylum seekers since the drone can search an area of 40,000 square nautical miles in a single mission.
Defense Minister David Johnston would soon refer to the cabinet for its first pass approval of 3 billion dollars for the seven U.S. made MQ-4C Triton, a maritime version of the Global Hawk. Johnston also attacked the former Labor government for withdrawing from the unmanned aircraft program in 2009 after spent 100 million dollars in the development of American company Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk drone program. "I was extremely disappointed," said the minister, quoted by The Australian newspaper. According to the plan, the seven new drone would be deployed in a air force base close to the southern city of Adelaide and will replace the current aging fleet of P-3 Orion surveillance planes.
La perspective de cette acquisition semblait pourtant s'être éloignée en septembre dernier avec des hésitations liées à la situation politique du pays :
WILLIAMSTOWN, Australia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The MK45 guns used on ships of the Royal Australian Navy are being overhauled by BAE Systems under a five-year contract.
BAE Systems, which did not disclose the value of the award, said it will be the sole source provider of gun in-service support, removal, replacement and overhaul services to the country's navy.
The contract follows the recent overhaul of a naval gun system for a navy ship.
"Our Technical Services team demonstrated its capability by overcoming the challenges the project presented, including major realignment requirements when fitting the gun and loader on HMAS Stuart," said BAE Systems Director of Maritime Bill Saltzer. 'The overhaul of the remaining guns for the ANZAC fleet will be carried out at the BAE Systems shipyard in Williamstown, Victoria and then installation of the guns will be done in conjunction with the ASMD upgrade when the ships are dry berthed at the BAE Systems shipyard in Henderson, WA.
"Accomplishing the gun overhauls concurrently with the ASMD upgrade will ensure these vital assets will not be out of service for any additional length of time.
"It also means the Navy can also be confident that when the ships resume operation they will have both the benefits of the ASMD upgrade and a fully re-conditioned gun with an extended length of service," he said.
ASMD is an acronym for anti-ship missile defense, which includes phased array radar and combat management system upgrades.
The Coalition has backed away from its earlier promise to fast track the acquisition of a Global Hawk/Triton UAV if elected to government on Saturday. In launching the coalition’s defence policy on Monday, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the Coalition would now “consider closely the need for unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles” as part of a new Defence White Paper, a reversal on its previous promise to fast track such an acquisition.
“The acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles will be dependent on the advice of the Chief of the Defence Force and service chiefs, as well as a clear cost-benefit assessment that demonstrates the value of these aircraft,” the Coalition’s Defence policy document reads.
“We believe there is merit in acquiring new state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles – such as the Triton or equivalent capability. Australia lost its pre-eminent position in the Triton program and delivery schedule because of Labor’s ill thought-out decision in 2009 to delay this program [AIR 7000 Phase 1B] to 2022-23.”
Australia plans to buy more Boeing Co. (BA) P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol jets than initially projected to replace planes dating from the 1970s, reducing its requirement for drones built by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC)
Funding for the purchase will be sought next year, with talks under way about the exact mix of P-8s and MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, the head of the Royal Australian Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, said in an interview in London.
Australia currently uses 18 Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) AP-3C Orions upgraded a decade ago to hunt submarines, monitor ship traffic and aid in rescue missions, with some planes also deployed in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. While it had planned to acquire eight aircraft and seven drones, the number of P-8s could now reach into double figures, Brown said.
“We are making an argument that a larger number of P-8s would be better,” he said. “I am not looking for more dollars, I am just looking at where we spend the money.”
While the P-8 -- a Boeing 737 airliner modified to carry gear that can detect submerged submarines, drop torpedoes and fire weapons -- is more capable than the AP-3C, wider global demands mean a substantial fleet is required, Brown said.
The shift in thinking toward P-8s, currently operated by the U.S. Navy and Indian air force, doesn’t mean drones such as the Triton, a version of the U.S. Air Force’s Global Hawk that’s also used by the U.S. Navy -- are out of favor, he said.
“I’m still a great supporter of unmanned air systems,” Brown said, adding that the Triton, while lacking weapons, would be able to monitor far greater areas than an aircraft...
The Australian Ministers for Defence and Defence Materiel announced May 15 that the government of Australia will enter into a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) planning case with the U.S. Navy for the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The FMS planning case will help Australian defense officials assess the applicability of Triton’s capabilities to their high-altitude, long-endurance UAS for maritime patrol and other surveillance requirements.
According to a press release issued by Australia's Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Dr. Mike Kelly on May 15, "The goal is to provide long-range, long-endurance maritime surveillance and response and an effective anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability." Australia's interest in the U.S. Navy’s persistent maritime surveillance unmanned systems development dates back to 2007 when it participated in the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAS pre-system development and demonstration under a cooperative partner project agreement. "Our team is eager to partner with Australia on this FMS planning case involving the MQ-4C Triton UAS," said Capt. Jim Hoke, the Navy's Persistent Maritime (PMA-262) UAS program office here. "The development of a system based on the Triton UAS would significantly improve Australian and US capabilities in the region, enhancing our joint ability to respond to regional challenges, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief." As an adjunct to the manned P-8A, the U.S. Navy's Triton will be able to cover more than 2.7 million square miles in a single mission. Its capability to perform persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with a range of 2,000 nautical miles will allow P-8A, P-3C and EP-3E aircraft to focus on their core missions, adding to the capability of the Navy's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force. Australia is a cooperative partner with the U.S. Navy in the development and production of the P-8A.
With its technical expertise and numerous innovations, ThyssenKrupp is one of the leading global system suppliers for submarines and surface naval vessels, with a shipbuilding tradition that stretches back centuries. To strengthen the company’s presence in the Asia/Pacific region it is now acquiring the Melbourne-based Australian engineering firm Australian Marine Technologies. Australian Marine Technologies (“AMT”) has a wealth of engineering and design expertise in naval shipbuilding and currently employs 31 engineers and draftsmen. In a further step, AMT is to be combined with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Australia - a company of the Industrial Solutions business area.
Dr. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, Management Board Chairman of the Industrial Solutions business area of ThyssenKrupp AG, explains the background to the acquisition: “As part of its strategic development program, ThyssenKrupp is focusing on the markets of the future. The Southeast Asia region including Australia and New Zealand offers numerous opportunities for growth. With the acquisition of AMT we will not only strengthen our presence in Australia, we will also profit from the company’s regional network.”
Australia is one of the traditional sales markets of the ThyssenKrupp Group in Asia/Pacific. Railway tires and rail/track systems were supplied to Australia back in 1865. With sales of around €520 million, Australia is the company’s fourth biggest market in the region. ThyssenKrupp currently employs around 900 people in Australia, offering rolled steel and pipes/tubes, marine systems, machinery and equipment for mining and processing ores and minerals, petrochemical plants, elevators and escalators as well as nickel alloys.
A full range of specialist engineering and construction services and a shipbuilding history stretching back centuries are the strengths of the Industrial Solutions business area. High-quality engineering is at the center of our success. Global project management skills, first-class system integration expertise, reliable procurement and supplier management, and a service offering meeting the highest standards form the basis for lasting customer satisfaction. 20,000 employees at over 70 locations form a global network with a technology portfolio that guarantees maximum productivity and cost-efficiency.
Australia will not hold an open tender to replace its ageing Collins-class submarines, government officials said on Tuesday, a decision that bolsters Japan's position as the likely builder of the new multibillion-dollar fleet.
Reuters reported in September that Australia was leaning towards buying as many as 12 off-the-shelf stealth submarines from Japan despite domestic pressure to build them at home.
Since then, several European defence contractors have said they would be price-competitive with Japan and do the work in Australia in a bid to win a piece of the overall A$40 billion (RM115.8 billion) submarine programme.
But the Australian government did not have time for an open bidding process, said Treasurer Joe Hockey.
"We need to make decisions now and we don't have time to go through a speculation process," Hockey told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
A spokesman for Defence Minister David Johnston said no manufacturer had been chosen.
Sources have said Australia is considering a replacement for the Collins based on the 4,000-tonne Soryu-class ships built by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
They have said Canberra wanted a new lithium-ion battery propulsion system, which experts say would give the submarines better underwater range and speed compared with other diesel-electric vessels that use air independent propulsion under the sea, a system which requires fuel to operate.
Tokyo's next generation of Soryu submarines will be the world's first to be powered by the new technology.
"Japan is the only option for Australia because neither Germany, France nor Sweden has built 4,000-tonne class diesel submarines," a former senior Japanese navy commander told Reuters.
Swedish defence firm Saab, France's state-controlled naval contractor DCNS and Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems have all expressed interest in the Australian project.
Saab spokesman Sebastian Carlsson said the company still wanted to do business.
"We have flagged our interest and told them what we have to offer, and we want to hold discussions regarding that," he said.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, under fire after a bruising first year in office, had previously pledged the vessels would be built at the government-owned ASC shipyard in the state of South Australia.
But his cabinet began back-pedalling in July, signalling cost and schedule were paramount. Since then, pressure has mounted for a competitive tender.
Last week Johnston apologised after saying he would not trust ASC "to build a canoe".
Australia has said it would make a final decision in a defence review expected early next year. It needs to begin replacing its Collins submarines by the mid-2030s at the latest.
Such a deal for Japan would mark its re-entry into the global arms market, just months after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ended a ban on weapons exports as part of his efforts to steer the country away from decades of pacifism.
The opposition Labor Party on Monday sought to force the government to hold an open tender using a procedural motion in the upper house senate.
Influential independent South Australian senator Nick Xenophon criticised the lack of a tender, saying local jobs were at stake.
"This is no way to run Australia's biggest defence procurement this century," he told Reuters. – Reuters, December 2, 2014.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to commit to allowing Australian companies to publicly compete to build the next generation of submarines, saying the last thing the navy wants "is a substandard submarine".
Amid signs the government is preparing to purchase vessels made overseas, Mr Abbott has said that the first priority of Defence has to be that equipment is "world class" and "at a competitive price".
Doctor John White has told a Senate inquiry that such a tender was an important part step in comparing local and overseas costs.
But Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Thursday he wanted the best quality of submarine at the best value - regardless of where it was made.
"We need to get the best possible submarines for our navy and decisions about future submarines have to be made on the basis of what is best for our armed forces, not what is best for a particular region or what might be best for a particular company here in Australia," he told reporters in Melbourne.
"The last thing we want is a substandard submarine. We would not want that.
"Like all of my colleagues, I would like to see our armed forces using Australian equipment, wherever possible, but it has to be absolutely world class and it has to be at a competitive price," he said.
Acting Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said the navy is still considering its options and could not say when a decision might be made.
"We have said that we're looking at a range of options and that remains the situation for us. We have not come down to a specific option yet and we continue to look across at what's available," he told ABC radio.
Labor says if the government does buy the next generation of submarines from overseas, it will be a broken election promise.
Defence Minister David Johnston said in May 2013: "We will deliver those submarines from right here at ASC in South Australia. The Coalition today is committed to building 12 new submarines here in Adelaide."
Labor's Veterans Affairs spokesman David Feeney called on the government to listen to the advice of experts and criticised the Coalition for achieving "nothing" on submarines in its first year in office.
"An open competitive tendering process would enable Australia to secure a submarine that meets our requirements for the best price," he said.
(Infodefensa.com) Madrid - The Commonwealth of Australia Friday signed acceptance of ALHD Canberra , first of two ships LHD the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia has built for that country, based on the LHD Juan Carlos I of the Spanish Armada .
The contract, signed in 2007, included the construction of 85% in the Navantia shipyard in Ferrol and completion in Australia by BAE Systems .
The ship was transferred to Australia in August 2012 and will be definitely delivered to the Australian Navy on 28 November.
The construction of these ships has led to Navantia, according to the company, the entry in the niche market of this type of vessel, which has been consolidated with the choice of design LHD Spanish by the Turkish Navy .
Based on the Juan Carlos I
Making amphibious assault ship ALHD Canberra began in 2008 in the shipyard of Navantia in Ferrol-Fene . She was launched in 2011 and in October 2012 came to Australia after two months at sea. It can carry up to 1,000 soldiers, 100 combat vehicles, 12 helicopters and four landing craft.
Both the ship Canberra and the Adelaide -which came to Australia last February-are based on the Strategic Projection Ship ( BPE ) Juan Carlos I of the Spanish Armada, also designed and built by Navantia.
SEVENTY-TWO years after Japanese submarines attacked Sydney Harbour, the next generation of Australian submariners will be put to sea in boats made in Japan.
In one of the biggest and most contentious defence equipment decisions in decades, the Abbott Government will select the Japanese-built Soryu Class submarine to replace locally built Collins Class boats as the navy’s key strike weapon beyond 2030.
A decision to spend more than $20 billion on up to 10 of the Japanese vessels will be announced before the end of the year.
That is six months ahead of the release date for the Abbott Government’s first Defence White Paper.
The decision is being fast-tracked due to growing concerns about the massive cost of maintaining the Collins boats beyond their use-by-date of 2026. Some estimates put that cost at more than $2 billion.
“The Government cannot afford a submarine capability gap and every day past 2026/27 when Collins class is due to begin decommissioning, adds days of risk,’’ a senior defence source said.
The 4200-tonne Soryu Class boat carries a crew of 65 and is powered by an air-independent propulsion system that allows it to remain submerged for much longer periods that other conventionally powered submarines.
Range has been a major factor against the design — the Soryu has a range of about 11,000 km at 12 km/hr compared with 22,000 km at 19 km/hr for the Collins Class - but it is understood that one option under consideration is to provide submarine basing facilities in Northern Australia (Darwin) to cut the transit distances to the boats’ patrol areas by thousands of kms.
The purchase price for the Japanese built boats would be about half the price of an Australian option.
German builder TKMS told a conference earlier this year that it could build 12 submarines for $20 billion.
Both German and French submarines remain in the running, but senior sources told News Corp Australia that the Japanese option was clear favourite.
The decision will anger government owned South Australian shipbuilder ASC and the SA Government and it finally breaks the government’s election promise to “build 12 submarines in Adelaide”.
“It is ludicrous to think we can design a submarine — nobody believes that,” one insider said.
Given that the Collins fleet will not reach its availability benchmark (the amount of time a vessel is available for service) until 2016 (20 years after entering service) the government does not want to risk a submarine capability gap.
ASC will remain the centre of submarine sustainability and will play a key role in the future frigate project with work estimated at $1 billion a year flowing to South Australia by 2023.
However the yard’s woeful performance on the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) project ($600 million over budget and three years late) has left the government with little option but to look elsewhere for a new submarine.
“With a record like that is anyone seriously thinking we should proceed and build a fleet of future submarines in the same shipyard?” a government source said.
News Corp can also reveal that when the Commonwealth signed up to the AWD contract, it was informed by Treasury that it would incur a premium of $1 billion.
According to government auditors the premium for local production is about 30 per cent or $15 billion for a locally built submarine. That is the entire cost of the Joint Strike Fighter project.
A huge submarine deal is on the table this week when Japan and Australia meet to shore up their military relationship, as the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific shifts to meet the challenge of a rising China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera will play hosts in Tokyo on Wednesday to Julie Bishop and David Johnston, their respective opposite numbers, for the fifth round of so-called "2+2" talks.
High on the agenda will be discussions on the transfer of Japanese submarine technology to Australia, with Canberra needing to replace its fleet of stealth subs over the coming years at a reported cost of up to USD 37 billion.
This could see Tokyo's technology – or even entire Japanese-built vessels – used in the fleet, in a deal that would yoke the two nations together for several decades, binding their militaries with shared know-how. The expected step comes as China's relentless rise alters the balance of power in a region long dominated by the United States, with Beijing ever-more willing to use its might to push territorial and maritime claims.
A rash of confrontations in the South China Sea has set off ripples of disquiet in the region, as has the festering stand-off with Japan over islands in the East China Sea. The worries have encouraged a relationship-building drive across Asia, with Australia and Japan -- both key US allies – a notable pairing. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe signed a free trade pact and a security deal in April.
Following an Australian request, Tokyo will let Johnston see Japanese submarines during his stay, Onodera said. The Japanese defence chief also stressed that various "frameworks" – military pacts – grouping Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States are vital in ensuring security in East Asia. Increasingly, the outlines of a nascent coalition are becoming visible, says Takehiko Yamamoto, a security expert and emeritus professor at Waseda University. "Naturally, Australia finds Japanese technology attractive," he said, adding that the nation's prowess in precision-manufacturing for the highly sophisticated submarine kit was enviable.
Tighter ties between the two US allies, both with vast coastlines, are a part of a greater "security complex", also involving New Zealand and India, that serves to create a counterbalance to China, said Yamamoto. "It is a part of a long-term trend," he said.
The federal government is set to spend up to $7 billion to buy eight Boeing P-8A Poseidon long range maritime patrol aircraft to replace the RAAF's ageing AP-3C Orion aircraft.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the purchase on Friday after inspecting a US Navy P-8A aircraft in Canberra.
He said eight of the Boeing aircraft would be acquired with an option for four more, to replace the Orion fleet due for withdrawal around 2019.
They will be based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia.
The initial eight aircraft will cost $4 billion, with the additional funds including other technology.
Mr Abbott said the aircraft would be at the heart of Australia's surveillance and maritime strike capacity for decades to come.
'This is a very important defence acquisition. It has been quite a long time coming but now we are going ahead,' he said.
The first aircraft would be operational in 2017 and all eight would be operational by 2021.
In 2007, the government gave initial approval to acquire the Poseidon, an aircraft based on the widely-used Boeing 737 airliner and which is now replacing Orions in US Navy service.
Australia initially contributed $150 million to join the P-8A development program, subsequently adding a further $100 million.
The RAAF operates 19 Lockheed AP-3C Orions which entered service in the mid-1980s.
In Australian service, the new Poseidons will operate in conjunction with Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft.
On en revient donc à l'organisation de la surveillance maritime envisagée avant juillet 2013 et remise en question par une nouvelle réflexion stratégique à l'été dernier :
AN evolved Collins Class submarine is the leading option for Australia's next generation of submarines, Defence Minister David Johnston has revealed, renewing hopes that the final decision on the project will deliver jobs and investment in South Australia.
Senator Johnston said in Adelaide yesterday that he believed an evolved Collins Class was a better choice than completely redesigning and building a new submarine.
Twelve next-generation submarines will be built under the SEA 1000 project, which has an estimated cost of up to $40 billion.
"Our experience is that to go down that path is quite problematic," said Senator Johnston, who was attending a Submarine Institute of Australia conference.
"The evolved Collins is the leading option … capitalising on our evolving corporate knowledge, so we will see what the department has done and what the plan is within the next month."
SA Defence Teaming Centre chief executive officer Chris Burns saying if this option was backed it would mean jobs and investment for the state.
"The centre for excellence of knowledge and capability about Collins is here in South Australia, so it further cements that the future submarines will be made here in SA," Mr Burns said.
"And an evolution of Collins means work will be able to commence sooner rather than later in terms of design."
The new Abbott government had said it would make a decision about the Future Submarine project within 18 months of taking office, along with creating a new defence white paper.
Senator Johnston said he intended pushing forward with "not a briefing but a seminar" over the future subs next month after returning from NATO meetings, to discuss what he described as the Federal Government's "number one priority at the moment".
Previously, the former Labor government had narrowed the Future Submarine decision to two main options for the new submarines - the evolved Collins boat or an entirely new Australian-designed and built option.
Both parties have committed to the submarines being assembled in South Australia.
Senator Johnston also said yesterday that he was confident there would be no gap in capability between the ageing Collins submarines being replaced.
"These subs are so important that time is of the essence," he said.
"The plan is coming together and you will hopefully shortly see exactly what we are doing with Collins, you will see the path that we are going to choose will be a middle path for SEA 1000 (future submarines)."
He said it was "the most important capability we've got at the moment".
But he also said that of equal priority was focusing on the sustainment and remediation of the existing six Collins class subs because "the life extension program is vital to the haste with which we must pursue the new boat".
"The submarine life extension program will allow an orderly transition to the new submarine without a capability gap but that's not to say we are slowing down SEA 1000 in any shape of form it just means there's a little more time," he said.
ACCORDING to a long-submerged report by the Defence Materiel Organisation, the navy's Collins-class submarines are so riddled with faults there is a high to extreme risk they will be retired before replacements can be built; the Royal Australian Navy's six submarines are becoming heavier, noisier and hotter. Reports by The Australian's Cameron Stewart suggest the nation could be undefended by submarines for a long period during the next decade. It does the previous Labor government no credit that last year's DMO report was never released. Former defence minister Stephen Smith cherry-picked its contents, announcing last December the DMO found "no single technical issue would fundamentally prevent" the vessels achieving their indicative service life - neglecting to say the DMO identified 68 major systems that posed risks to the submarines ever achieving their life expectancy (from 2024 to 2031) or an extension of seven years. Reviving and extending the life of the Collins-class boats is not impossible, but it will be difficult and costly, perhaps even futile. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, there is a danger in latter years the fleet could be militarily obsolete, just like the F-111 strike bomber - "effectively useless" as a weapon of war for the last decade of its service life. The Abbott government faces three unpalatable options: a high-risk upgrade to the fleet, the expensive and messy purchase or lease of smaller interim vessels from Europe or an acceptance we will not have submarines for a period in the 2020s. The Coalition's pre-election policy was vague; it promised a final decision on the capability-gap issue within 18 months of taking office. Defence Minister David Johnston has justifiably been a critic of the vessels; he may have little choice but to prolong their service. The Abbott government has no time to waste. More daunting is a long-term commitment to 12 new submarines. The Coalition should not limit itself to the options of a more-evolved Collins-class boat or a hybrid off-the-shelf vessel from Europe. While the political imperative of building submarines locally is strong, the government should not rule out the cost and performance benefits of buying nuclear-powered Virginia-class vessels from our American ally.
The Commonwealth of Australia has thanked Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. for early delivery of the first MH-60R Seahawk helicopter to the U.S. Navy, the initial step in the process to transfer a mission-ready aircraft to the Australian Defence Force in December 2013.
"Delivery and first flight of an Australian MH-60R aircraft in late June occurred only two years after contract signature, some six months ahead of the original schedule approved by the Australian Government in 2011," said Captain Scott Lockey, project director at the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), which is procuring 24 MH-60R anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy. "This is a magnificent outcome for our program."
During a ceremony July 23 near the Seahawk production line at Sikorsky's Stratford, Conn., facility to mark the June 29 initial delivery, representatives of the U.S. Navy, Royal Australian Navy, the DMO and mission systems integrator Lockheed Martin heard Capt. Lockey speak to Sikorsky's workforce via video.
"From the technicians on the production floor, to the test pilots on the flight line, to the senior executives, everyone who has touched the Australian Romeo program in any way should be proud of the role you have played," he said.
On July 24, the first Royal Australian Navy MH-60R aircraft arrived at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Training in Owego, N.Y., for the second phase of aircraft completion — installation of the digital cockpit and integrated mission systems and sensors....
.... Sikorsky has three additional MH-60R aircraft for the Royal Australian Navy in various stages of assembly at its Seahawk completion line in Stratford. Those aircraft will be handed over to the U.S. Navy in August and September 2013 for completion by Lockheed Martin in early 2014. The DMO is expected to take delivery of all 24 completed MH-60R aircraft by late 2016 via the U.S. Government's Foreign Military Sales program....
...The Australian Defence Force currently operates 16 S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters acquired in the 1980s. The first Australian MH-60R helicopter is the 168th Romeo model produced by Sikorsky since deliveries to the U.S. Navy began in 2006. The first Australian Romeo also is the 401st MH-60 Seahawk helicopter delivered to the U.S. Navy since Sikorsky began deliveries of MH-60S (Sierra) helicopters in 2001.
Two of navy's six Collins-class submarines will be out service for more than six years under the Gillard government's new maintenance regime.
HMAS Rankin and HMAS Collins have been out of action while undergoing maintenance in Adelaide, and will be returned to the Royal Australian Navy much later than the present three-year deadlines. The Rankin is the youngest submarine in the fleet yet it has been docked since 2008. It will not be released by shipbuilder ASC until the middle of next year at the earliest. The Collins is the fleet's oldest and has been at the ASC facility in Adelaide since last August. It will not be released until 2018.
La marine australienne envisage de doter ses sous-marins de la classe Collins de nouvelles technologies japonaises, ce qui permettrait de prolonger de 10 ans leur durée de vie opérationnelle.
Cela aurait aussi pour conséquence de retarder d’autant le besoin de construire de nouveaux sous-marins pour remplacer ceux de la classe Collins.
Le Japon a assoupli sa constitution interdisant l’exportation de matériels militaires. La marine australienne pourrait ainsi choisir les sous-marins de la classe Soryu — ou plus probablement certaines de leurs technologies — pour remplacer ses 6 sous-marins de la classe Collins.
La marine australienne étudie actuellement la possibilité d’équiper chaque sous-marins de la classe Collins d’un système de propulsion anaérobie ultra-moderne, depuis les moteurs diesel et électriques jusqu’à l’hélice.
Ces travaux pourraient être effectués en Australie ou au Japon, à l’occasion d’un grand carénage.
Des discutions ont commencé entre les 2 pays sur un accord de transfert de technologies, qui pourrait concerner les sous-marins.
Ce serait une grande première puisque Tokyo n’a jusqu’à présent jamais partagé de technologies militaires avec un pays autre que les Etats-Unis.
Le Japon doit encore prendre une décision sur l’exportation des sous-marins Soryu ou de leurs technologies vers l’Australie, mais des membres importants de la défense à Tokyo sont en sa faveur.
En mai dernier, le chef de la marine australienne, Ray Griggs, et d’autres responsables australiens ont visité un sous-marin de la classe Soryu au cours d’une visite au Japon. Ils en sont revenus très impressionnés.
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