Australia's A$11B Collins Submarine Gap #shorts

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Australia is spending big to keep six aging submarines operational into the 2040s.

[00:00:06]The commitment, A11 billion dollars spread across [music] 10 years.

[00:00:13]The program is LOTE, life [music] of type extension.

[00:00:16]The target, Collins class. Six diesel-electric submarines commissioned from [music] 1996 and through 2003.

[00:00:26]That matters [music] because their normal service life is roughly 30 years.

[00:00:31]The first LOTE boat [music] is HMAS Farncomb, commissioned in 1998.

[00:00:37]>> [music] >> Its job is not just repair, it sets the baseline for class-wide work.

[00:00:42]>> [music] >> Canberra also wants HMAS Rankin prioritized because Rankin is youngest.

[00:00:48]The hard part is scope. Batteries, [music] diesel engines, and propulsion overhaul.

[00:00:54]Naval News reports not every boat may receive the same modernization depth.

[00:00:59]That creates the real gap. Virginia class SSNs start arriving only from 2032.

[00:01:06]Australian-built nuclear boats come even later, not before 2040.

[00:01:13]So, Collins LOTE is buying time, about 15 extra years. But if upgrades vary, [music] Australia may have six hulls without six equal submarines.