Export of Dutch Submarines Thanks to Swedish-Dutch Cooperation Saab-Damen
[By: Damen Shipyards Group]
Saab and Damen Shipyards have agreed to export the advanced Expeditionary C-71 submarines. CEO of Damen Shipyards Arnout Damen and CEO of Saab Micael Johansson made the decision this week to export together the submarine, which has been developed for the Royal Netherlands Navy to replace the current Walrus class. The agreement doubles the long-term prospect of employment and income for the Netherlands Naval Cluster with the replacement of the Walrus submarines by Saab-Damen.
Saab and Damen have been working together since 2015 to build, modernise, and maintain the new expeditionary submarine for the Royal Netherlands Navy. This project is so much more than delivering four submarines. Dutch strategic autonomy is, given the geopolitical developments at the moment, vital in strategic projects like the submarine replacement, with the Dutch Naval base being the single remaining self-sufficient defence industry cluster in the Netherlands DTIB.
The two companies have now also agreed to offer their advanced Expeditionary submarines to Canada. A country in the initial phase of a similar process to replace their diesel-electric submarines. This offers the Netherland government a strategic best choice in line with its Defence industry Strategy 2018, several Parliamentary Letters on this topic and the important National Sector Agenda for the Maritime Industry.
The expeditionary submarine is based on the successful, proven, and future-proof design of the A26 submarines. It incorporates the latest capabilities and technologies, while the modular design allows room for customisability as well as new technologies as they develop, ensuring relevance for decades to come.
Through Saab's business area Kockums, Sweden has a long tradition of producing world-class submarines. For this new expeditionary design, Saab is working closely with Damen Shipyards and a range of Dutch suppliers and is supported by the United Kingdom. Four countries currently operate submarines and submarine technology designed by Saab: Sweden, Australia, Japan, and Singapore.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
UK Awards $700M Contract for Refit of Ballistic-Missile Sub
The UK has awarded a $700 million contract to defense shipbuilder Babcock to undertake a major refit of HMS Victorious, one of Britain's four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Victorious will be the second sub to undergo the multiyear overhaul.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that the refit is designed to keep the submarine in operation into the 2030s, preserving the Royal Navy's second-strike capability. The service has a record of over 55 years of uninterrupted nuclear deterrence patrols.
The life extension contract, signed with the UK’s Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), will be carried out at Babcock’s Devonport facility. It will deliver Victorious back to the Royal Navy modernized and improved.
Work on the submarine is already underway, following a commitment to authorize early work beginning in July last year.
Victorious will be the second in her class to undergo a life extension program, after Vanguard. The overhaul for Vanguard had difficulties: it ran about $380 million over budget and three years late, thanks to COVID disruption and technical problems with refueling her reactors. The refit was marred by a minor scandal when contracting officials found that bolts in her reactor cooling system had been broken and glued back together by yard workers.
Unlike Vanguard, Victorious does not need to be refueled in this yard period, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
“In an increasingly dangerous world, it is crucial that we continue to invest in one of our most important assets, our nuclear deterrent. This is another UK partnership with Babcock that will help keep the UK safe, while boosting the local economy and supporting 1,000 jobs,” said Shapps.
The overhaul of Victorious will allow the boat to carry out deterrent patrols until the next generation of submarines, the Dreadnought-class, enter service. The UK government is investing approximately $47 billion in four Dreadnought-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, with the first expected to enter service in the 2030s.
The boats, christened Dreadnought, Valiant, Warspite and King George VI, are being built at BAE Systems at its Barrow-in-Furness shipyard in Cumbria.
The UK government has also committed a $950 million funding boost to the Devonport naval base to improve infrastructure and enable it to support the maintenance of existing and future submarines.
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