Page 26 - Australian Defence Mag March 2020

26 DEFENCE BUSINESS SUBMARINES
MARCH 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
ATTACK CLASS SUBMARINE WILL FACE CHALLENGES
The requirements for the RAN’s 12 Attack-class Future Submarines are very challenging
but the design process is proceeding well, according to John Davis, CEO of Naval Group Australia, the $80 billion program’s French-owned design and build partner.
JULIAN KERR | ADELAIDE
HIS reassurance follows an Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report disclosing design delays, and separate con- cerns regarding Australian industry workshare.
“You have to recognise that the requirements of this boat are like no other boat in the world, there isn’t another sub- marine it can be compared with. Endurance, range, speed, stealth, all of those. It’s a thoroughbred,” Davis told ADM.
“We’re in the preliminary design stage and things are go- ing well. The technical solution for this stage of maturity is looking very, very good.
“We were about five weeks late exiting the Systems Re- quirements Review (SRR) in January. Not running to sched- ule is important but it does not have a material impact on the programming execution of the hull.
“The Systems Functional Review, which will define the major layouts for all the major items of
equipment, will make up that shortfall and
it will start as contracted in January 2021
months out from SPA, we’re learning together about the real- ism of how you implement SPA and the conditions within it, and I think we’re making good progress on that.
“The SPA has to look at every eventuality that may occur across its 50-year terms and that in itself is a complex sooth- saying problem to deal with.
as agreed in recent discussions between NGA, Defence, and combat systems inte- grator Lockheed Martin Australia.”
SCHEDULE
“THE SPA HAS TO LOOK AT EVERY EVENTUALITY THAT MAY OCCUR ACROSS ITS 50-YEAR TERM AND THAT IN ITSELF IS A COMPLEX SOOTHSAYING PROBLEM TO DEAL WITH.”
“On top of that, the Commonwealth is acting in the interests of the taxpayer in making sure it has learnt the lessons from previous programs and has the necessary commercial instruments available to it to ensure the taxpayer achieves value for mon- ey, and the program is executed in the way the Commonwealth wants that to be done.”
Davis acknowledged cultural dif- ferences, but with a positive outcome. While French designers worked in a fluid environment in which the objective was
Although the contentious Strategic Part-
nership Agreement (SPA), setting out the
principles of cooperation between NGA
and the Commonwealth, was not signed
until February 2019, nearly 16 months behind schedule, Davis said relations with Defence were good although the French regarded Australia as a very demanding nation in terms of the project.
the most important thing, sparking great innovation, for Australia being predictable on the journey was as impor- tant as the outcome.
“Somewhere between the two is the answer – you don’t want to kill all the innovation but equally you can’t have a free-rein type of environment,” he reflected.
Davis disclosed that the number of submarines to be built
“If you look at the lifecycle relationship I’d describe it as forming, norming and storming; we’re still in the forming stage of that and that’s to be expected,” Davis said. “We’re 12