Well, IMHO, the Collins class did have some rather significant problems out of the chute. The McIntosh-Prescott Report highlighted most of the real issues, while putting a lot of the other hype to rest. But the real issues were significant and resulted in the "Get Well" program that brought the 5th and 6th vessels up to speed through the construction process and then retrofitted those fixes back to the other four boats that had already been launched.
I do not believe that that report, or the extents to which the RAN and Australian government went to to solve the problems were politics...they were real issues and took real solutions to addres them,...and quitre a bit of extra money...over $1 billion US was the tally, if not more.
Happily, I believe that program worked well, and has now produced a good sub force with the capanbilities it was intended to have, and with the even newer combat system update to be completed across the class by 2014, even greater capability than intended.
But, with a submerged speed of 21 knots and a surfaced speed of 10 knots, and without AIP, they are still limited.
I know the Australian Navy trains very well and very hard. They are cut and dried and squared away.
However, I would not want to take a Collins against a Virginia or Sea Wolf at any time because the US Navy training program is just as rigourous and those squids are just as professional and competent...and they also have better platforms to work with.
The class has traded punches successfully with LA Class boats. To the chagrin on those boats, particularly in exercises when they were tasked with protecting Amphibious assault vessels. But the LA Class has also taken the Collins down too. The partiuclar training exercises against the USS Olympia in 2002 were telling, involving the Colllins class, Sheean. Both did well in the hunter killer role against each other. It should also be noted however that the Olympia was a Block I boat and that the Block II and particularly what are called the ADCAP Block III boats are much more effective. It would be interesting to see if the Collins class in any of their training and exercises with the US had gone head to head with Block III ADCAP LA Class and how they did.
Similarly, if they have gone up against either Sea Wolf or Viginia class boas and how they did.
The Olympia was commissioned in 1983, the Sheean was commissioned in 2001, almost 20 years later and benefitting from all of the upgrades to the class. While the Olympia also had upgrades, she was not structurally better than her 1983 design and clearly not a Block III ADCAP boat.
Luckily, we will not ever have to worry about that scenario playing out in war between the two countries in any case...though I will admit that in the litorals, as it is with any diesel/electric, the issue is compounded significantly. The Viginia's have some very special equipment set up specifically for that purpose, though I personally believe that sending a 8,000 ton SSN into those waters is not cost effective in the least and that the US should build a seperate class of 18-24 modern AIP diesel electrics of its own for fighting in the litorals that maybe displace 4,000-5,000 tons.
...and a good place to start, would be the newer, Japanese Soroyu Class, which I believe to be among the best AIP Diesel Electrcs in the world. Here's couple of pics. Displacement at 4,200 tons submerged. The JMSDF has built and launched four of these and is planning four more I believe. I would love to see over a dozen similar boats in US Navy service for the litorals..
But, those are just my thoughts on the matter. God's speed, mate!
