Here are the costs of future Ssn Aukus submarines
From 2040 Australia will participate in the design and construction of a new class of submarine described by US President Joe Biden as SSN AUKUS. The cost of the program is unprecedented. The analysis by Gianandrea Gaiani, director of GaranziaDifesa
The AUKUS takes shape, a re-edition in an anti-Chinese key of the strategic agreements between the Anglo-Americans and the Anglo-Saxon nations of the Pacific dating back to the First Cold War.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on March 13 in San Diego (California), in front of the 7,800-ton Virginia-class submarine USS Missouri, the agreement to supply Australia nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) which will make it possible to replace the Collins class boats (built in Australia but derived from the Swedish Vastergotland class boats) after Canberra's decision to cancel the program to acquire 12 boats of a conventionally propelled version of the French SSN Barracuda.
WHAT THE AUKUS UNDERTAKING PROVIDES FOR SSN SUBMARINES
However, the plan for the acquisition of the SSNs by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is rather complex, with very long times, certainly very expensive and with the risk that the expenses will exceed all forecasts.
Australia will host the SSN base in Perth which will have to be equipped to host British and American boats on a regular basis until 2026, while from 2027 there will be 4 US Navy Virginia-class boats (in the photo below) and one British on a permanent basis but in rotation Astute class, deployed in Australian port for Indo-Pacific operations with mixed American-Australian and British-Australian crews.
Starting from 2032, the RAN will purchase from 3 to 5 five nuclear-powered attack submarines of the same American Virginia class: these will probably be second-hand units sold by the US Navy, the exact number of which will depend on the speed with which Australia it will equip itself with the infrastructural, shipbuilding and industrial capabilities necessary to build and manage vessels of the SSN type with a series of investments which will allow it to acquire British and US technology but which will also involve Navy personnel.
THE FOURTH PHASE OF THE PROGRAM
The fourth phase will see from 2040 Australia participate in the design and construction of a new class of submarines – described by US President Joe Biden as SSN AUKUS – which London is already planning and which will make use of new US technologies including perhaps the use of modular launch wells that can be used by cruise missiles and drones and a strong recourse to automation and the use of Artificial Intelligence.
THE TOTAL COST OF THE PROGRAM
The total cost of the program is unprecedented , amounting to 368 billion dollars up to 2055, with the risk that too many uncertainties about the technological and industrial aspects as well as the long development times of the program will further inflate the expenses.
Furthermore, such an expensive program spread over more than 20 years carries the risk of large financial losses should successive Canberra governments decide to withdraw from the contracts.
Finally, the Australian Defense budget will have to allocate ample financial resources to the management of the SSN fleet to ensure its operational capabilities and complex maintenance over time, without considering that the future class of British SSNs which will constitute the evolution of the Astute class are currently only on paper and technological difficulties and delays such as those characterizing the British Type 26 frigates also ordered by Australia cannot be excluded, which should have the first operational unit no earlier than 2031.
THE EXPENDITURE OF AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE EXPENDITURE
Over 32 years, the spending forecast is $11 billion a year for Australia's defense budget of $48.6 billion, or 2.11% of GDP: this means that the cost of submarines will add up to half a percentage point of GDP to this figure or the entire Australian Defense Forces will have to be reshaped around the needs of the submarine fleet it will have to be reshaped and restructured to afford it.
Extract of an article published on analysis of defense . it
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/ecco-rischi-e-costi-dei-futuri-sottomarini-ssn-aukus/ on Sat, 18 Mar 2023 06:23:08 +0000.