German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) claims that building submarines in Australia can be as cheap as building them in Germany.
According to News Corp Australia Network, global chairman of TKMS Dr Hans Atzpodien and Australian chairman Dr John White said that the project to build 12 submarines for Australia will create a great opportunity for Australia. Around 50 thousand skilled workers coming from automotive, LNG and North West Shelf jobs would be employed on the project.
Dr Atzpodien said that TKMS offers flexible building options with three possibilities: building subs either in Germany or Australia, or a hybrid of both. He added that the hybrid would likely be the least efficient option.
The German company is competing with two other companies with a bid of $20 billion for twelve 4000 tonne submarines, with the first delivery to Australia expected around 2025. Competing alongside TKMS is the French company DCNS with their Shortfin Baracuda design, and Japan with an altered version of their Soryu-class sub.
Naval Today Staff, Image: ThyssenKrupp