German Type 216 for DOWN UNDER ????

[seaman hornsby]

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the...n-german-13791

[Covert Shores]

Interesting article.

Good to know that VLS modules are innovative, let's tell that to everyone else who offers that

Australia seems to be surrounded by good choices of boat. Japanese, Swedish, French or German.

[wlambing]

Not really. The Collins is a Swedish design.

[Covert Shores]

Not sure what you mean by that.

The way I see it the German boat has the fixed price aspect and the potential commonality with Singapore, the French boat has better SF integration, the Swedish boat is from a familiar partner and the Japanese boat has the best tech/performance and the best experience of such large AIP subs (thus proving the Swedish technology).

On the down side the German boat's AIP is expensive and a first on such a large boat, plus there's how they treated their Swedish partners, the French AIP is least stealthy, the swedes have the 'anti-Collins' fashion to overcome and the Japanese have the fact that a lot of Aussies don't like them (for reasons that they'd argue apply to Japan but not Germany??)

All the boats appear very good choices to me.

[southern or]

Wasn't the 214 and there by the 216 a German/Italian creation? And didn't the South Koreans have a bit of a problem with their German 214 order?

[Covert Shores]

I think that we'd call this a German creation. Italians should be very proud of the subs that they are building and the subtle differences to the German model, but overall it'd be like calling the French option the 'Franco-spanish' design.