Australia’s nuclear submarine fleet will be almost twice as expensive as the Apollo lunar program
[ad_1]
The US agreed with the UK and Australia to sell Canberra in the early 2030s. three (and two more optionally) American nuclear submarines (NPS) of the Virginia class with non-nuclear weapons. For the first time in 65 years, the United States is openly sharing military technology of this level with another country.
The agreement was concluded as the main part of the anti-Chinese military-technical partnership AUKUS, created in 2021. The Virginia is a multi-purpose nuclear submarine, the construction cost of which is now about $ 2.47 billion per unit. Since 1998, 22 such boats have been built, and the US Navy plans to purchase up to 60 units of this type in total. It is armed with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles with a non-nuclear warhead, torpedoes and mines. For comparison: the British submarines of the Estute type, which competed with the Virginia under the AUKUS program, have been built since 2001 only five units due to the need to solve numerous technical problems.
[ad_2]
Source link
