Attack-class submarine

The Attack-class submarine was a planned class of French-designed submarines for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) The project, which would have replaced the Collins-class submarines, began in 2007 as the Future Submarine program. In 2020 it was estimated to cost A$90 billion and would have been the largest and most complex defence acquisition project in Australian history. In September 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the cancellation of the contract with Naval Group and the creation of AUKUS, a trilateral security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, that will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The first submarine was expected to enter service in the early 2030s with construction extending until 2050. Early plans suggested the first submarine would be completed before 2025. In February 2015 the Abbott government announced a competitive evaluation process between competing Japanese, French, and German designs. On 26 April 2016, PM Malcolm Turnbull announced the Shortfin Barracuda, a conventionally-powered variant of the Baracuda-class nuclear submarine by French firm DCNS (now Naval Group), as the winner.