|
Identified as the most expensive defence procurement project to date in Australian history, the Collins-class replacement will provide Australia with a submarine capability deep into the twenty-first century.〔http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coalition-casts-doubt-on-plan-to-replace-collins-class-submarines-20140407-zqryi.html〕 With the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) ''Collins''-class submarines scheduled to begin leaving service from 2025 onwards, plans to replace them began in 2007 with the commencement of the defence acquisition project SEA 1000, also referred to as the Future Submarine Programme. Australia's unique operating environment (including significant variations in ocean climate and conditions) and rejection of nuclear propulsion had previously driven it to operate in the Collins-class the world's largest diesel-electric submarines, capable of transiting the long distances from HMAS Stirling to their deployment areas. In the early phases of the replacement project, four design options were identified: purchase a Military-Off-The-Shelf (MOTS) design, modify a MOTS design for Australian conditions, design an evolution of the Collins-class, or create a new design. Nuclear propulsion has been ruled out due to the lack of an indigenous nuclear industry in Australia and public opposition to nuclear technology. In 2009, the Australian Government's Defence White Paper announced that a class of twelve submarines would be built.〔2009 Defence White Paper, p. 70.〕 The selected design was to be built in Australia at the ASC shipyard in South Australia, but, if a company other than ASC was selected to build the submarines, they would be granted access to the government-owned facility. Concept work was to start in 2009, with a winning design to be identified by 2013 and design work to be completed by 2016, enabling the construction of the first submarine to be completed before 2025. However, there were significant delays in implementing the project, with meetings to define intended capabilities not occurring until 2012, which pushed the start of construction beyond 2017. By the end of 2014, operational capabilities had still not been defined, amidst increasing speculation that the Australian government would purchase ''Sōryū''-class submarines directly from Japan, skipping any tendering processes and ignoring previous commitments to build the boats in Australia. However, in February 2015 the Abbott Government announced a "competitive evaluation process" between competing Japanese, French, and German designs, with a winning design to be announced before 2016. ==Background== Australian diesel-electric submarines operate in a wide range of geographic and oceanographic conditions, from the cold Southern Ocean to the tropics of the Coral, Arafura, and Timor Seas - requiring the submarines to handle significant variances in temperature, salinity, density, and climate. Australian submarines provide a deterrent towards military aggression against Australia, by patrolling the waters of Australia and nearby nations, and in addition, gather intelligence through the interception of electronic communications by foreign nations, and assist in the deployment and retrieval of special forces operatives. Because RAN submarines operate from a remote location at , and because some of Australia's strategic interests are located as far afield as the Persian Gulf and the North Pacific, Australian submarines have to transit long distances to reach some of their potential patrol areas. This requirement for range and endurance resulted in the 1980s Collins-class design incorporating a large fuel load, large engines and sufficient batteries to transit these long distances, although technological improvements since then have enabled smaller diesel-electric submarines such as the German Type 214 submarine and Dutch Walrus-class submarine to achieve similar range and endurance as the Collins-class.〔http://www.asiapacificdefencereporter.com/articles/272/WHAT-LIES-BENEATH-Sea-1000〕 It has also been noted that the transit distances Australian submarines travel could be reduced by operating the submarines from in Darwin, rather than the more remote location of in Western Australia.〔 The ''Collins'' class were the first diesel-electric submarines specifically designed for Australian conditions of long transit distances and diverse sea states, and thus represent an 'orphan' design with no evolved design to replace them.〔http://theconversation.com/beyond-the-collins-class-what-next-for-australias-submarines-2499〕 The submarines were enlarged and heavily modified versions of Swedish shipbuilder Kockums' ''Västergötland'' class.〔Dennis et. al., ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History'', p. 138〕〔Woolner, ''Procuring Change'', p. 7〕 Built during the 1990s and 2000s, the ''Collins''-class submarines have a predicted operational life of around 30 years, with the lead boat due to be decommissioned around 2025.〔Coleman, ''More problems with Collins class submarines〕〔Stewart, ''Defence to reach new depths''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Collins-class submarine replacement project」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|