The Commonwealth Government has formally engaged the major United States submarine manufacturer Electric Boat Corporation as capability partner to the Australian Submarine Corporation, Defence Minister Robert Hill and Finance Minister Nick Minchin announced today.

A team of experts from Electric Boat’s head office in Groton, USA, will be based in South Australia from mid-October under a service agreement with the Australian Submarine Corporation.

Electric Boat has more than a century of experience in design, construction and lifecycle support of submarines.

Under the agreement, Electric Boat will provide technical and commercial support to the Australian Submarine Corporation as it transitions from being a producer of submarines to an agency for through-life support.

Valued at US$20 million over three years, with up to four years of annual extensions, the partnership will see Electric Boat provide specialist management and technical advice on the maintenance and ongoing support of Australia’s Collins Class submarines. Support will focus on the areas of modernised through-life support and capability upgrades.

The capability partnership will be instrumental to ASC’s work on future refits (Full Cycle Docking) for Collins submarines that will be done at ASC Outer Harbour.

It follows the Government’s decision last month to purchase a replacement combat system for the Collins Class and a commitment last year to closer cooperation with the United States Navy in maintaining fully capable, sustainable and interoperable submarine forces.