The Future Submarine project will be the largest and most complex Defence project ever undertaken by Australia and will involve hundreds of companies and thousands of workers.
The fourth and final review into the Collins Class submarine sustainment program recently released by John Coles confirms that submarine maintenance and availability has significantly improved.
The review findings have been welcomed by the Minister for Defence David Johnston and the Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann.
The report found that two and frequently three submarines are now available for deployment at any one time. In the recent past, we were often reliant on a single boat.
“The report notes remarkable progress in several areas,” Minister Johnston said.
“This includes greater availability of spares, less planned maintenance over-runs, fewer breakdowns and faster repairs to operational boats when problems occur.”
The final report also confirmed an increasingly collaborative effort by all partners involved - the Navy, Defence Materiel Organisation and the submarine maintenance contractor ASC.
“We are particularly pleased with the improvements in submarine productivity from ASC, which has meant better support of the Navy’s submarine capability,” added Minister Cormann.
“The signs are encouraging but there are still risks ahead with more work needing to be done,” Minister Johnston said.
“The Collins Class is a sophisticated platform which operates in a demanding environment and continued improvements in availability will lack resilience until the Coles recommendations are fully implemented.”
The Future Submarine project will be the largest and most complex Defence project ever undertaken by Australia and will involve hundreds of companies and thousands of workers.
