Australia awards France contract to help build 12 submarines

With tension mounting in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia is all set to buy 12 submarines from France. These will be built in Australia and the program claims to create a good amount of employment that will in turn boost the economy of the country, asserted the Australian Prime Minister, ‘Malcolm Turnbull’. However, Australian Defence experts are of the opinion that much as it may seem a co-operative endeavour between Australia and France, the US will also have a role to play.

A fleet of old decommissioned submarines of the Australian Navy that have exceeded their service time are still at guard on the Australian coasts. It was to replace these that last year Australia declared its intention to buy new submarines. Tenders fulfilling the requirements of the Australian Navy were invited from foreign companies. Japan with its ‘Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’, a Japanese government endeavour was considered a forerunner among the contenders

But Turnbull declared that the contract for building the Submarines had been awarded to the ‘DCNS Group’, a French Ship-building Company. Australia is investing a whopping $37 billion in the project. The submarines will be built in the ASC shipyard in Adelaide. The French company will provide technology for manufacture of these ‘diesel-electric’ type of submarines. This project expects to create 2800 jobs, said Prime Minister Turnbull adding further that this co-operative defence venture was going to prove important for the Australian economy as well. These submarines are expected to join the Australian naval fleet by the year 2030.

The French Barracuda class submarines travel very quietly underwater which highlights their significance as regards manoeuvres inside enemy territories, say defence analysts. The Barracuda that are part of the French Navy are powered by nuclear energy but the ones to be designed for Australia will be the diesel-electric type. Japan has been left chafed with the contract being awarded to France. This decision on the part of the Australian government is regrettable and we demand an explanation from the Turnbull government says Gen Nakatani, the Defence Minister of Japan.

However, Andrew Davies, director of the ‘Defence and Strategy Program’ of the ‘Australian Strategic Policy Institute’ believes that this joint venture between Australia and France is bound to benefit the USA who had supplied the Torpedo-84′ equipment to Australia. Australia decided to manufacture these submarines to post the torpedo equipment on board. Davies also claims that the US have a role to play in the decision.

Meanwhile the military activity in the ‘South China Sea’ region fuels tension already prevalent in this area. The USA too, entering into defence deals with the Philippines, prepares to deploy troops to five bases. That Australia decides to build submarines with French technology and post American Torpedo equipment on board these, is what is to be noted on the background of these events.