John Menadue. Defence White Paper. US, China and Barracuda – class submarines.

April 26, 2016

Rather than acquiring military off-the-shelf (MOTS) submarines, the Australian government has committed us to the French submarine that will be built to Australian specifications. It will be a ‘unique’ build, non-nuclear and very expensive The Defence Minister says that the Barracuda submarine will meet Australian Government ‘requirements for a submarine with considerable range and the capacity to remain undisturbed and undetected for extended periods’. The government hopes that this submarine will be able to operate in the South China Sea without running unacceptable risks for the crews lives, Notwithstanding that by the time these submarines are actually...