Interesting piece on ABC here last night about retired submariners calling for an interim `son of Collins' class to be built before the nuke boats - to fill the `submarine gap' between now and the nuke boats arriving in the 2040s.
Not a lot of discussion about these or similar as an interim stop gap?
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...inelayer-first
Am assuming large UUVs will develop and evolve enormously over the next 20 years.
Much cheaper than a crewed boat I would have thought?
Oz may even be able to build it's own...
Navy requirements indicate the UUV will also perform underwater surveillance, electronic warfare, and minesweeping missions. Beyond that, it is planned for Orca to be able to do everything from launching cruise missiles and aerial drones to hunting submarines in the future.