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| Australia's Existing Collins class Submarine |
Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced the Government has received the Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan.
In December 2011 the Government announced that the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) would develop a Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan to identify what is required to build and sustain the skills required to successfully deliver Australia’s Future Submarine capability.
The Skills Plan has been developed by a team led by the Chief Executive Officer of the DMO, Mr Warren King and supported by an Expert Industry Panel headed by Mr David Mortimer, AO.
The Expert Industry Panel included representatives of DMO, Navy, the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Skills Australia, relevant Unions, the CEOs of the four principal Australian naval shipbuilding companies (ASC, Austal, BAE Systems and Forgacs Engineering) and the CEOs of the principal naval systems integration companies (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Thales, Saab Systems and BAE Systems).
The Panel has consulted widely with State Governments, Australian industry, Industry Associations, Universities, academic organisations and think tanks to develop this Plan.
The key findings of the Plan are:
- the Australian shipbuilding industry is capable, but important white collar skills are spread thin;
- while some Australian companies can reach back into their parent international organisations for design work, our indigenous design capability for submarine and surface ships is weak;
- the current blue collar work force is limited, with production supervisors and electrical trades being the weakest skill areas; and
- the key to building these skills is a continuous ship building plan with long term, predictable work.
The Government will release the Plan and its response to the Plan next year.
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Future submarine Land Based Test Site to be based in Adelaide
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that a new facility for testing submarine systems, including propulsion, energy and integration technology, would be based in Adelaide.
In November last year, the Government commissioned a feasibility study into the establishment of a Submarine Propulsion, Energy, Support and Integration Facility, generally referred to as a Land Based Test Site.
The study was undertaken for the Future Submarine Program by Babcock Pty Ltd with input from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). The study identified four functions that could be considered in a facility of this type:
- research and development;
- system integration testing;
- pre-build and assembly testing; and
- training.
Babcock Pty Ltd has now delivered its report. The key finding is that a Land Based Test Site is essential and that it should be located where these functions could be undertaken most efficiently and cost-effectively.
While specific details of the scope of the facility are still under consideration, the Government has decided that the Land Based Test Site will be based in Adelaide, South Australia, where the Future Submarines will be assembled.
The propulsion, energy and drive-train system is a key part of any submarine. The Land Based Test Site will enable this system to be integrated, tested and proved before it is installed into a submarine.
Elements of the facility will also be located in Western Australia (where Navy will have easy access for training purposes) and Victoria (where DSTO maritime specialists are based).
The establishment of a Land Based Test Site is a significant step towards understanding propulsion systems for Australia’s Future Submarines.
The Future Submarine Program will be the largest and most complex Defence project ever undertaken by Australia and with this complexity comes risk.
Regardless of the submarine design option that is ultimately chosen, the establishment of the Land Based Test Site will significantly reduce the risk of delay and cost overruns, poor availability and increased operating and sustainment costs, loss of capability and most importantly, the risk of a catastrophic accident caused by a failure of the power and energy systems.
The Land Based Test Facility will also help ensure that challenges encountered from the maintenance of the Collins Class fleet are addressed.
Further decisions on the form and function of the Land Based Test Site will be announced next year.