Australia - Minister for Defence Materiel – Collins submarine sonar support contract awarded

Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that Thales has been awarded a $22.2 million contract to update sonar equipment for the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins Class submarines. 

The contract will involve replacing obsolescent electronic components to improve reliability and help to reduce space, weight and power requirements. 

Mr Clare said the majority of specialist engineering and logistics work will be performed in the Thales facility at Rydalmere, NSW. 

“The sonar system on the Collins Class submarines uses acoustic signals to safely navigate and operate effectively underwater,” Mr Clare said. 

“The updating of this equipment is key to ensuring our Collins Class submarines remain operationally capable and reliable.” 

Thales currently holds the contract for in-service support for the Collins sonar system and is the original manufacturer of the equipment. 

The Government has allocated an additional $700 million over the next four years for Collins Class submarine sustainment. 

The Collins Class submarine provides maritime surveillance, maritime strike and interdiction, reconnaissance and intelligence collection capability to the Australian Defence Force.

Submariners - Part 1 to 6 - Royal Australian Navy Submarine Service

Collins submarine problems.

Sailors aboard a Collins-class submarine forced to return to base for repairs during a multinational exercise near Hawaii last week would have been profoundly disappointed, a former senior submariner says.

It is the second time in just over a year a Collins-class submarine has had to withdraw from a major international exercise because of mechanical issues.

The former commander of the Australian Navy Submarine Group, Steve Davies, said the officers and crew of HMAS Farncomb would have been riding high after successfully sinking a decommissioned United States warship with a Mk 48 torpedo during RIMPAC 2012.

HMAS Farncomb experienced ''a minor flood'' shortly after the firing exercise while snorkelling to recharge its batteries.

One of the hoses in the submarine's weight compensation system split, spraying water into a machinery space.

Emergency measures were invoked with the ship withdrawing from the exercise and returning to Pearl Harbour for repairs.

HMAS Dechaineux was unable to take part in Exercise Bersama Shield last May when issues with her engines left her stranded in Singapore.

Mr Davies, who was in Canberra last week as part of his new role as executive director of the Submarine Institute of Australia, said he had experienced similar disappointments during his own service and could feel for the 60-strong crew.

It was unfortunate the hose failure had drawn attention away from the excellent job HMAS Farncomb had done in sinking the former US ammunition ship, USNS Kilauea, with a single Mk 48 torpedo.

Hitting a target that was dead in the water was far more challenging than locking on to a moving ship.

''Torpedoes like speed,'' he said. ''A moving object is much easier to spot. One of the tactics you can use against a torpedo attack is to stop near a border or boundary of some kind.''

The firing exercise, or SINKEX as it is known, would have been a very costly undertaking.

In addition to missing out on Kilauea's value as scrap, the United States Navy would have also had to spend a lot of money decontaminating the vessel to make sure she was safe to sink. The torpedo alone costs more than $3.5 million.

''The Mk 48 Model 7 has been developed jointly by Australia and the US,'' Mr Davies said.

''It has sonar, guidance and tracking systems and trails a wire.''

The torpedoes, which carry just under 300 kilograms of explosives, are fitted with sophisticated magnetic sensors that allow them to detonate under their targets to inflict the maximum possible damage. They weigh almost 1700 kilograms and are 5.8-metres long.

Classified as a heavy torpedo, the Mk 48s are designed to break a ship in two.

Maintenance Contract Marks New Era for Australia’s Collins Class Submarines

HMAS Dechaineux and HMAS Waller during an exercise.

Australia’s national submarine builder and maintainer of the six Collins Class submarines - ASC Pty Ltd - is pleased to have signed a new contract with the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for the maintenance of the Collins Class submarines going forward.

The new In Service Support Contract (ISSC) was announced today by Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Penny Wong, and Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, with the contract signed at ASC’s submarine facility in Osborne, South Australia.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Steve Ludlam, said that this would mark a new era for the maintenance of the Collins Class submarines.

“The ISSC aims to support greater collaboration, cooperation and accountability to ensure that the requirements of our customer, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), are met while delivering value for money,” said Mr Ludlam.

“In particular, ensuring the required level of submarine availability and reliability for the RAN will be a key outcome, while ensuring safety and technical integrity requirements continue to be met.”

Mr Ludlam said that significant achievements and efficiencies had been achieved in the Collins Class submarine maintenance program to date.

“This experience and the lessons learned have provided valuable input in creating the new ISSC to ensure performance and efficiency continues to gain pace,” he said.

The contract encourages greater collaboration between parties within a commercial framework whereby both risks and rewards in relation to seeking efficiencies are shared.

The new ISSC contract replaces the previous Through Life Support Agreement (TLSA). The contract will be operationally effective from 1 July 2012.