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SSG 73 Collins SSK - Life of Type Extension (LOTE)

The objective of the Collins Program is to sustain the Collins class Submarine (CCSM) materiel capability (including the associated escape and rescue capability), minimise the logistic costs of ownership, and provide sustainable and cost effective design, engineering and logistics support for platform systems and combat systems, through agreements with industry partners including ASC Pty Ltd (ASC), Raytheon Australia, Thales, BAE Systems and other providers. A new performance based In-Service Support Contract (ISSC) with ASC became operational on 1 July 2012.

Informed by the Coles Report of November 2012 into The Business of Sustaining Australia's Strategic Collins Class Submarine Capability, Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) (in close collaboration with Navy and industry) transformed Collins sustainment to attain benchmark levels of availability from mid-2016. Mr Coles conducted a progress review in early 2014 from which he concluded that Collins availability had experienced "a remarkable turnaround", and in his final review in 2016, Mr Coles suggested Collins might now be considered an 'exemplar project', having achieved the Navy’s availability requirement (based on Coles’ international benchmark) in Financial Year 2016/17. The Submarine Enterprise continues to achieve above benchmark availability for Navy.

A 2012 Defence study into a Collins service life extension confirmed that the life of the Collins submarines could be extended by an additional operating cycle. The Submarine Enterprise (Navy, CASG and industry) completed initial Life of Type Extension (LOTE) studies in 2016/17 to identify the activities required to extend the Collins class life for another decade. Defence and Industry studies were undertaken to plan these activities. This will ensure there is no capability gap before the Attack class submarines enter service in the early 2030s.

Scheduled upgrades, in particular to the combat, weapon, sonar and communications systems, maintain Collins' capability edge. Combat and weapon system upgrades were completed and the project closed in February 2019. Project SEA1439 Phases 5B1 and 5B2 deliver communications upgrades, while SEA1439 Phase 6 will deliver sonar upgrades.

In June 2021 Defence committed A$6-10 billion to refit all six Collins Class submarines. The Life Of Type Extension, which will extend the life of the fleet until the 2050s. The first LOTE was scheduled to begin in 2026 starting with HMAS Farncomb – and given that each boat will be out of the water for two years for a simultaneous Full Cycle Docking, the last one will go back into service in 2040.

On 17 September 2021 ASC welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to extend the life of all six Collins class submarines and the decision to retain full cycle docking of the fleet at Osborne, South Australia. ASC will develop a program to retain all of the skilled shipbuilding workers impacted by the discontinuation of the Attack Class Submarine Program.