Submarine design work to move to SA

Design work on the Future Submarine Program will move to South Australia from 2022, the government announced today.

Currently, initial design work is taking place in Adelaide and Cherbourg, France. Up to 270 Australian jobs will be created in the detailed design and production planning activities, according to the prime minister.

This announcement coincides with the visit to Australia by the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Preparations will involve a range of training activities for Australians to ensure they achieve the necessary qualifications and develop the essential skills to undertake both detailed design and production planning.

“Undertaking the detailed design and production planning locally will ensure our sovereignty goals are met, in a smooth transition to construction of the submarines in Adelaide”, said a government release.

During detailed design, the Future Submarines will be developed and planned to a high level of precision using advanced computer-aided software, which includes the layout of all systems in each compartment of the submarine.

At the same time, the schedule for the construction of the submarine will be planned in detail, guiding shipyard workers on each stage of the build.

More than 600 Australian companies have so far registered interest with France’s Naval Group to be part of the program.