The Australian Government has awarded ASC – formerly known as the Australian Submarine Corporation – a new four-year sustainment contract worth over A$2.2 billion to maintain the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Collins-class diesel-electric submarine fleet.
According to the Australian Department of Defence (DoD), the new contract will support more than 1,100 highly skilled workers at Osborne, South Australia and Henderson, Western Australia, ensuring that the two states remain the focal point for submarine maintenance and construction.
“ASC is Australia’s sovereign submarine sustainment partner and platform system integrator with experience in submarine build, testing, commissioning and certification, including physical integration of US combat systems,” said Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher.
“Using its unrivalled knowledge of Australian submarine operating conditions, with an existing workforce and supply chain and leading-edge technology with ongoing research and development, ASC will deliver safe, high-quality sustainment services to the Royal Australian Navy,” added Gallagher.
The latest contract also follows the life-of-type extension (LOTE) programme for the Collins-class submarines, which was first announced in June and will commence with HMAS Farncomb in 2026 at Osborne, South Australia. The government has asserted that it will invest up to A$5 billion to ensure that the submarines remain relevant during the RAN’s transition towards nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) operation.
However, planned upgrades to the optronics system as well as the integration of the Tomahawk cruise missile have been dropped due to complexity and risk to the LOTE programme.
ASC has also been selected to sustain and jointly build Australia’s SSN fleet the auspices of the trilateral Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) security and technology partnership.
ASC and BAE Systems have been selected as the Sovereign Submarine Build Partners and are expected to form a joint venture to construct the SSN-AUKUS submarines at the Osborne Naval Shipyard.
Work on the first SSN-AUKUS submarine is scheduled to be underway before the end of this decade, with delivery to the RAN from the early 2040s.
by Jr Ng
