A Problem for China: Australia is undertaking a major modernization of its six Collins-class diesel-electric submarines, extending their service life into the 2030s.
-This $4-$5 billion project aims to maintain a credible undersea deterrent while awaiting the arrival of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement.
The upgraded Collins-class will enhance Australia’s ability to patrol its vast maritime domain, protect vital sea lanes for trade, and counter China’s growing naval power in the region.
-This strategy mirrors China’s earlier reliance on asymmetric “Assassin’s Mace” weapons, focusing on submarines as a cost-effective way to project power and maintain a strong defense posture.
Australia’s Collins-class Submarines Could Ace China If Needed
Australia is concerned that the world is becoming more and more militarily dangerous. China continues to flex its muscles and build more airplanes and warships that can intimidate Australia. Last May, a Chinese J-10 fighter jet fired flares at an Australian naval helicopter flying in the Yellow Sea to enforce sanctions against North Korea. Australia’s prime minister was furious about the provocation. Australia is focusing on undersea warfare to answer the Chinese, and developments are happening quickly.
A Good Supplement to the AUKUS Treaty
The AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement will help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines in the future. Meanwhile, its current submarine fleet is not too shabby. The Collins-class is billed as one of the best diesel-electric submarines of its type in the world.
But They Need to Be Modernized
The Collins-class subs are now undergoing a “life-of-type extension (LOTE) at Osborne shipyard in South Australia,” according to the Australian government. This operation is a major point of concern for the Royal Australian Navy and critical to its strategy of asymmetric strength to fight back against the Chinese if necessary and to protect the Homeland.
Good For Another Decade
Australia hopes the Collins-class subs will be operational into the 2030s after the LOTE. This timeframe is far beyond their original service life projection. The government is sinking a noteworthy $4 to $5 billion into the project. This effort shows the country is serious about defense and keeping sea lines of communication open for Australian natural resource exports to nations in East Asia.
Collins-class Have an Important Mission Set
First developed during the Cold War with design work beginning in 1982 and completion of that initial process in 1987, the Collins-class subs have already served a long life. These replaced the aging Oberon-class submarines. Due to Australia’s remote location, the Collins-class needed to be long-range. If its shores were ever threatened, the Australian Navy wanted something survivable and an instrument to take the fight to the enemy when needed.
The Collins-class would then be able to attack adversarial shipping, defend against other submarines, and lurk offshore around other nations to collect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data.
Collins-class subs were delivered between 1996 and 2003. The government was excited as these were the nation’s first homegrown, indigenously built submarines.
The Australians looked to the Swedes for inspiration as the Collins-class resembled the Swedish Type 471 design.
The Collins-class boats are 255 feet long and displace 3,000 tons. They have a quiet diesel-electric propulsion system. Only 42 officers and enlisted sailors are on board. The Collins-class subs are armed with MK 48 heavyweight torpedoes and sub-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
There are six submarines in the class. The first one built was the HMAS Collins, followed by the Farncomb, Waller, Dechaineux, Sheean, and Rankin. The work wasn’t easy for such a small defense industry.
The Product of a Huge Amount of Work
According to state-owned defense contractor ASC, “the submarines are the most complex military vessel built in Australia to date. With more than 3.8 million parts each, the submarines are ten times more complicated than a frigate, even though both are approximately 3,000 tons displacement. More than 33,000 drawings and 5,000 work orders were produced before the built process began, and once work started, each submarine took 2.5 million hours to assemble.”
ASC will spend the next four years on the modernization project. It will take 1,100 workers to complete it.
Focusing on submarines is an interesting strategic gambit for the Australians. The Collins-class will be able to supplement the nuclear-powered subs the military will acquire under the AUKUS agreement. This is a great way for the Navy to be relevant in the next several decades. The Collins-class update is expensive, but the government thinks the investment is worth it.
The Australians are taking a page out of the Chinese playbook. In the 1990s and early 2000s, China’s foreign policy strategy was to “bide time and hide strength.” Shanghai focused on what it called “Assassin’s Mace” asymmetric weapons systems such as submarines. Interestingly, Australia is opting for similar ways its relatively small military can keep up without breaking the bank. Using Assassin’s Mace weapons against the Chinese makes sense.
Collins-Class Submarine from Australia.
The Collins-class can fill the void until AUKUS comes into full effect with the arrival of the nuclear-powered boats. Due to its need to boost its export-led economy, Australia must protect its sea lanes, and submarines can serve this duty.
It’s a good thing the Australian government is looking to the future. China will only grow more belligerent, and the Aussies are aware that the region is becoming more volatile. With international incidents such as the helicopter flare incident with the Chinese, diplomacy must be backed by armed forces if Australia is to protect the economy and focus on natural resources exports for a hungry market in East Asia.
The Collins-class will also help keep Australia’s defense industry busy, and those submarines can fill the void until the AUKUS treaty bears fruit.
The Virginia-class attack submarine Pre-Commissioning Unit Mississippi (SSN 782) conducts alpha trials in the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of General Dynamics Electric Boat)
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD. is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
