To avoid a gap, the Australian government announced earlier this year that it would completely rebuild all six of its Collins-class submarines, at a cost of billions. But the first Barracuda couldn't be delivered until 2035 or later, with construction extending into the 2050s. Without subs, Australia would be left vulnerable at a time of increasing tensions with China. And that's before the government factored in the cost of maintenance - which in November 2019, the department of defense told a Senate committee would set Canberra back a further 145 billion Australian dollars (€90.1 billion) over the life of the subs.Īustralia urgently needed new subs to replace its six aging Collins-class submarines, which were slated for retirement in 2026. But that figure has since almost doubled.Īt last count, the Barracudas were going to cost around 90 billion Australian dollars (€56 billion). The project was meant to cost 50 billion Australian dollars (€31 billion). Budget blowoutĭespite that, Australia later that year signed its largest-ever defense deal with DCNS for 12 Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A conventional diesel submarines.Ĭanberra was reportedly particularly keen on the French bid because of the ability to switch the Barracudas from diesel to nuclear power - technology that was deemed political poison so recently after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, but that the government believed could become more palatable in time. And while politicians from Australia's ruling center-right Liberal Party sought to downplay the implications of the hack on the Barracuda subs, opposition figures jumped on the revelations, with some calling for negotiations with the French firm to be suspended.
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