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Collins Class Submarine
Six Collins Class boats provide Australia with a world class conventional submarine force. Built between 1990 and 2003, the 3,407 tonnes submerged boats are among the largest non-nuclear submarines of any navy. They are interesting in several ways.
The Collins Class were designed by Kockums in Sweden and built locally in Australia. They are significantly larger than Sweden’s own submarines, and also differ in local preferences for American weapons and combat systems. The class did suffer significant teething problems, notably with the combat system, which has at times cast a shadow over the program. But it has matured to be a highly capable and well regarded design.
The submarines are arguably the ultimate expression of pure diesel-electric submarines (the other contender being the Dutch Walrus Class), focusing on achieving long operating ranges by relying on diesel power. Air independent power (AIP) was not adopted because, among other things, it was optimised for slow loitering rather than transit. They have an operational range on diesels of over 11,000 nautical miles, which compares favourably to other designs of the time. Submerged range on batteries is reported at 480 nautical miles at 4 knots.
Australia built 6 Collins class submarines starting the 1990s.
Specifications
Displacememt: 3,100 tonnes surfaced, 3,407 tonnes submerged
Length: 77.4 m
Beam: 7.8 m
Range: 11,000+ nautical miles on diesels, 480 nautical miles submerged on batteries
Endurance: 70 days
Crew: 58
Speed: 20 knots submerged (max)
Weapons load: 22 x torpedoes (Mk.48), sub-harpoon anti-ship missiles or over 40 mines
Today the boats are due a life extension to bridge until the nuclear-powered AUKUS class enters service. The submarines will receive various upgrades, but these are no longer expected to include Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Saab photo
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