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Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price have announced the signing of a subcontract to support the design of components for the Attack Class submarines.
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Defence Connect can confirm that Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia has signed a contract with the Commonwealth to support the $50 billion SEA 1000 Attack Class submarine program.
The joint media release from ministers Reynolds and Price said, "This will support the operation and sustainment of the Attack Class while maximising the involvement of Australian industry. It is the first major equipment design subcontract awarded by Lockheed Martin Australia as the Combat System Integrator for the Attack Class.
"These are vital components of the combat system suite and builds on work Safran already conducts in Australia in the defence and civilian sectors. During the design phase, Safran will engage Australian suppliers Acacia Systems and Thomas Global Systems to provide design services."
The Attack Class submarines will be delivered as part of the $50 billion SEA 1000 Future Submarine program. Naval Group will build 12 regionally-superior submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.
Naval Group's successful Shortfin Barracuda design, which serves as the basis for the new Attack Class, is a conventionally-powered variant of the nuclear-powered Barracuda fast attack submarine currently under construction for the French Navy.
Lockheed Martin will provide the AN/BYG-1 combat control system, which provides an open-architecture submarine combat control system for analysing and tracking submarine and surface ship contacts, providing situational awareness as well as the capability to target and employ torpedoes and missiles.
The 12 vessels will be built by Naval Group at a specialist submarine shipyard at Osborne, South Australia. The Commonwealth government’s Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) program will support the development of the future submarine shipyards.
"In the future, Safran will establish a local capability for the production, integration and support of these subsystems in Sydney," the joint release stated.
The Commonwealth government formally signed the strategic partnering agreement (SPA) with Naval Group in February 2019 ahead of confirming the final design specifications and requirements for the Attack Class submarines.
The Attack Class will enter service with the Royal Australian Navy at a time when 50 per cent of the world’s submarines will be operating in the Indo-Pacific region
Ministers Reynolds and Price stated, "This includes the design of the optronics search and attack, navigation radar and navigation data dstribution subsystems."
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
