AN evolved Collins Class submarine is the leading option for Australia's next generation of submarines, Defence Minister David Johnston has revealed, renewing hopes that the final decision on the project will deliver jobs and investment in South Australia.
Senator Johnston said in Adelaide yesterday that he believed an evolved Collins Class was a better choice than completely redesigning and building a new submarine.
Twelve next-generation submarines will be built under the SEA 1000 project, which has an estimated cost of up to $40 billion.
"Our experience is that to go down that path is quite problematic," said Senator Johnston, who was attending a Submarine Institute of Australia conference.
"The evolved Collins is the leading option … capitalising on our evolving corporate knowledge, so we will see what the department has done and what the plan is within the next month."
SA Defence Teaming Centre chief executive officer Chris Burns saying if this option was backed it would mean jobs and investment for the state.
"The centre for excellence of knowledge and capability about Collins is here in South Australia, so it further cements that the future submarines will be made here in SA," Mr Burns said.
"And an evolution of Collins means work will be able to commence sooner rather than later in terms of design."
The new Abbott government had said it would make a decision about the Future Submarine project within 18 months of taking office, along with creating a new defence white paper.
Senator Johnston said he intended pushing forward with "not a briefing but a seminar" over the future subs next month after returning from NATO meetings, to discuss what he described as the Federal Government's "number one priority at the moment".
Previously, the former Labor government had narrowed the Future Submarine decision to two main options for the new submarines - the evolved Collins boat or an entirely new Australian-designed and built option.
Both parties have committed to the submarines being assembled in South Australia.
Senator Johnston also said yesterday that he was confident there would be no gap in capability between the ageing Collins submarines being replaced.
"These subs are so important that time is of the essence," he said.
"The plan is coming together and you will hopefully shortly see exactly what we are doing with Collins, you will see the path that we are going to choose will be a middle path for SEA 1000 (future submarines)."
He said it was "the most important capability we've got at the moment".
But he also said that of equal priority was focusing on the sustainment and remediation of the existing six Collins class subs because "the life extension program is vital to the haste with which we must pursue the new boat".
"The submarine life extension program will allow an orderly transition to the new submarine without a capability gap but that's not to say we are slowing down SEA 1000 in any shape of form it just means there's a little more time," he said.
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