Surely the French knew Australia had become completely exasperated with this program in the last couple of years. Most people in Australia were aware. It's been in the media for months. Mr Macron is entitled to withdraw his ambassador if it helps his position in domestic politics. Others may argue but, the last piece of kit we bought from our French friends that was relatively popular would be the Mirage III. From the latest reports, it will be the Virginia Block V and hopefully, straight off the shelf identical to USN specs. The case for a small diesel electric submarine for surveillance in littoral zones is being overtaken by technology. The UUV is making them obsolete.