Page 26 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec21-Jan22

26 DEFENCE BUSINESS SENATE ESTIMATES
DECEMBER 2021-JANUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SENATE ESTIMATES ON SUBMARINES
For anyone with more than a cursory interest in Australia’s defence, Senate Estimates hearings have proved a godsend in eliciting important –
and sometimes unpalatable – information on developments concerning future submarine capability that would otherwise have gone missing in action.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
FOR EXAMPLE, where else would Navy Chief Mike Noonan acknowledge under questioning that Collins-class subma- rines could still be in service into the 2050s?
Where else would Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty con- firm that as of late October, no advice had been offered to government on any interim submarine capability?
Or the possibility, unlikely but yet to be dismissed, ac- cording to Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, head of the Nu- clear-Powered Submarine Task Force, of a hybrid nuclear- powered design being selected to replace the Collins fleet?
As Vice Admiral Noonan explained to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee in late Oc- tober, his earlier remarks to the Economics Reference Com- mittee had not ruled out or ruled in the potential to continue a capability upgrade program with the Collins-class boats if required. This would be to provide them with an additional service life beyond the 10 years that will be furnished by the future Life of Type Extension (LOTE) program.
COLLINS LOTE
“We could potentially, if needed, continue to do another upgrade to the submarine that would be dependent on the work and the rate of effort that the submarine undertakes over the next 20 years,” VADM Noonan stated.
However, he agreed the feasibility and cost of a second round of life-of-type extension work had not been ex- amined, and ASC had not been asked how this could be achieved, since they were now focused on the LOTE pro- gram commencing in 2026.
“If we were to see there had been evidence of hull fa- tigue at the 40-year mark, it would mean that consideration of a second LOTE would need to take that into account. That might see us considering the potential life of a second LOTE,” VADM Noonan noted.
“It may be a period less than 10 years. Or it may mean that we need to put operating restrictions on the subma- rines in terms of the way that we operate them and for their duration. Conversely, we might find the level of hull fatigue is less than what could be expected, which will pro- vide assurance around the operating life of the submarines as it stands.”
NUCLEAR TIMELINE
VADM Mead confirmed his confidence that Australia would have at least one nuclear-powered submarine in the water by the end of 2039, but said he was aiming to drive that timeline left – either more boats before 2040, and cer- tainly, the first boat before the end of the decade.
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