Concern remains high about the Attack-class submarine programme for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Despite assurances from the government and designer Naval Group, Shephard remains sceptical that the construction of 12 submarines will proceed as smoothly as the two sides claim, with the project’s estimated price already having risen to A$90 billion ($70 billion).
Nonetheless, Canberra announced on 23 March that it had inserted a commitment into the 2019 Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA) that would ensure a minimum of 60% of the price of Project Sea 1000 is spent locally over the lifetime of the programme.
Should the French company