Posted on 07/03/2018 6:12:36 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The REAL story behind Australia's $35billion warship deal: How the high-tech 'submarine killer' ships have NEVER been tested in the water - and now experts fear the project could end in 'disaster'
Australian taxpayers will foot the $35billion bill to build a new fleet of 'state-of-the-art' anti-submarine warships in a mammoth project experts say could be a disaster - because they've never been tested at sea.
British defence firm BAE Systems is building eight Type 26 Global Combat frigates for the British Navy and last week won the contract to construct nine of the so-called 'submarine killers' for Australia's Defence Force at a cost of $4billion each.
Experts agree BAE's Type 26 warships will likely offer better performance than those of its rival bidders, but the company hasn't been able to prove the frigates' capabilities because there is no finished product to trial in the water.
Italian firm Fincantieri had proposed a modified version of its FREMM frigates, while Spanish company Navantia offered an updated model of its F100 warship. Both frigates are proven at sea and already in service.
But the Federal Government on Friday signed off on the construction of the BAE design, in what will be the largest peace-time warship project in Australian history.
Defence and military technology expert Dr Jai Galliott from the University of New South Wales argued politics was 'quite clearly behind' the government's decision to go with the British firm.
'The question is whether the risk of acquiring an untested platform outweighs the risk of buying a platform from a nation that is slightly less trusted. I don't think that the equation adds up,' Dr Galliott told Daily Mail Australia.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Experts agree BAE’s Type 26 warships will likely offer better performance than those of its rival bidders, but the company hasn’t been able to prove the frigates’ capabilities because there is no finished product to trial in the water.
And that pair of ‘telephone poles’ at the back are what?
Cell phone towers so the sailors can get 4G LTE while underway.
‘The question is whether the risk of acquiring an untested platform outweighs the risk of buying a platform from a nation that is slightly less trusted. I don’t think that the equation adds up,’ Dr Galliott told Daily Mail Australia.
> And that pair of ‘telephone poles’ at the back are what? <
Probably to run a clothes line, then hang out wet laundry. But I wasn’t in the navy, so I might be wrong.
Italian firm Fincantieri had proposed a modified version of its FREMM frigates, while Spanish company Navantia offered an updated model of its F100 warship. Both frigates are proven at sea and already in service.
but the trust issue?
They look like masts for various antennae and comm devices. This may help keep the main superstructure clear, spread weight around, or keep those phased array radars from interfering with them.
Okay
Australia already has 3 navantia f100 awd frigates, so instead of working on modified f100s the government has elected for a clean slate from the ground up design.
With Brexit and Canzuk realignments perhaps the Canzuk countries are electing to share common weapon systems.
Look to Canada’s new frigate for confirmation.
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