Originally Posted by
Video Mixdown
Indeed. Many internal modules, like the command deck, are also built separately then slid into the partially assembled hull.
The UK builds SSN & SSBN in a small town in NE England. I fail to see why so many hold the Australians to be incapable of replicating these facilities. True, the reactors and some other internal systems will have to be imported, but the rest is just marine engineering. What's the problem?
"Events, dear boy," and the experience to deal with them. The UK paused submarine building and rapidly found that without any work for the builders all the experience had been paid off. The vertical re- learning curve for Astute meant EB had to come and help BAE out.
I expect the expertise from building the Collins boats has also been dissipated so there will be a lot of things to re-learn, fast. The experience now exists in BAE and EB, but whether there is enough of it to expand from two build operations to three I don't know. Much depends on timescale for the first two or three boats. Go slowly and you can train Aussies in UK and US to assemble and to build in Oz. Be in a hurry and you need to buy ready made, or learn hard and expensive lessons as you go.
You also need a submarine design capability, but upkeep of the Collins boats should have retained that base expertise. Whether it can be expanded fast enough to both keep the existing boats safe and capable whilst sorting out the design work to incorporate Australian content in the new boats is moot.
None of this says that SSN building cannot be done in Oz. Only that it will take time, probably more
time than the pollies want, and it will not be cheap. After all, SSK building has been done before and no one is suggesting an Australian power plant.
N