Royal Australian Navy sizes up modernisation plans for new and existing capabilities
Australia’s Collins-class submarines will start undergoing a Life-of-Type Extension programme in 2026. (Photo: Australian Defence Force)
The Australian navy is pushing ahead with its efforts to modernise its workforce and capabilities while balancing risky submarine upgrades, ageing Collins-class boats and a shrinking minehunter fleet. Head of navy capability RAdm Stephen Hughes updated Shephard on the force’s progress.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is undergoing a major transformation. A bevy of new platforms is coming, including upgraded Mogami frigates, Hunter-class frigates and nuclear-powered submarines. At the same time, however, the navy must manage and refresh existing capabilities.
On underwater capabilities, the RAN will not receive second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the US before 2032, and it is hoped SSN-AUKUS submarines will arrive in the early 2040s. To tide the RAN over, it needs to keep its fleet of Collins-class submarines viable, which it aims to achieve by performing a Life-of-Type Extension (LOTE) programme on Collins-class boats commissioned
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