Posted on 10/13/2014 5:38:46 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
A HIGH-POWERED German submarine delegation is in Canberra to demand an open competition for the nation’s biggest ever defence contract — a new navy submarine.
German giant ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the parent company of leading submarine builder HDW, has launched an aggressive bid to head off Japan for the multi-billion dollar job.
And in good news for thousands of shipyard workers at the ASC yard in Port Adelaide and elsewhere around the nation, TKMS said it would be happy to build the boats in Australia.
The company has built more than 160 diesel powered submarines and it has promised the Abbott Government that it could deliver 12 “ready for war” conventional submarines to replace the controversial Collins Class boats for $20 billion.
It said the boats could be either built at its shipyard in Kiel, Germany or at the ASC yard in Adelaide “risk free under a fixed price and fixed delivery contract”.
During the last election campaign the Coalition Government promised to build the boats at ASC in Port Adelaide, but it appeared to back away from the pledge in favour of the Japanese Soryu Class boat.
Navy shipbuilding expert Dr John White told a Senate inquiry yesterday that the Soryu option was “challenging” because Japan had never exported a submarine.
He also called for the establishment of a Submarine Construction Authority to oversee the vital project.
TKMS has guaranteed through-life support costs at between 10 and 20 per cent of the cost for Collins saving taxpayers billions of dollars. The final decision on the submarine selection process will be included in the government’s 2015 Defence White Paper due out mid-next year.
Chief Financial Officer with TKMS Dieter Rottsieper is in Canberra this week on a high-level lobbying mission.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
The diagram shows an “embarkation area.” What is that?
Sounds like the Jap boat might be the better buy. They are using air independent propulsion system. Not sure the German boats do that.
I stand corrected...the German U214 also features AIP.
See:http://www.military-today.com/navy/u_214_class.htm
Might be the torpedo loading entry.
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