Collins class submarine

HMAS Rankin, sixth submarine of the Collins class, underway in 2006
Class overview
Builders:	Australian Submarine Corporation Kockums
Operators:	Royal Australian Navy
Preceded by:	Oberon class
Succeeded by:	Future Submarine Program (Planned)
Built:	14 February 1990 – 18 March 2003
In commission:	27 July 1996 – present
Completed:	6
Active:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Diesel-electric submarine
Displacement:	3,100 tonnes (3,100 long tons) (surfaced) 3,407 tonnes (3,353 long tons) (submerged)
Length:	77.42 m (254.0 ft)
Beam:	7.8 m (26 ft)
Draught:	7 m (23 ft) at waterline
Installed power:	3 × Garden Island-Hedemora HV V18b/15Ub (VB210) 18-cylinder diesel motors, 3 × Jeumont-Schneider generators (1,400 kW, 440-volt DC)
Propulsion:	Main: 1 × Jeumont-Schneider DC motor (7,200 hp or 5,400 kW), driving 1 × seven-bladed, 4.22 m (13.8 ft) diameter skewback propeller Emergency: 1 × MacTaggart Scott DM 43006 retractable hydraulic motor
Speed:	10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced and snorkel depth 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) submerged
Range:	11,500 nautical miles (21,300 km; 13,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) snorkel 480 nmi (890 km; 550 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Endurance:	70 days
Test depth:	Over 180 m (590 ft) – actual depth classified
Complement:	Originally 42 (plus up to 12 trainees) Increased to 58 in 2009
Sensors and processing systems:	Sonar: Thomson Sintra Scylla bow and distributed sonar arrays Thales SHORT-TAS towed sonar array Thales intercept array Radar: Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 surface search radar Periscopes: Thales CK043 search periscope Thales CH093 attack periscope Combat system: Modified Raytheon CCS Mk2 (AN/BYG-1)
Electronic warfare & decoys:	Condor CS-5600 ESM 2 × SSE decoys
Armament:	6 × 21-inch (530 mm) bow torpedo tubes Payload: 22 torpedoes, mix of: Mark 48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedoes UGM-84C Sub-Harpoon anti-ship missiles Or: 44 Stonefish Mark III mines

The Collins class of six Australian-built diesel-electric submarines is operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The Collins class takes its name from Australian Vice Admiral John Augustine Collins; all six submarines are named after significant RAN personnel who distinguished themselves in action during World War II. The boats were the first submarines to be constructed in Australia, prompting widespread improvements in Australian industry.

Planning for a new design to replace the RAN's Oberon-class submarines began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Proposals were received from seven companies; two were selected for a funded study to determine the winning design, which was announced in mid-1987. The submarines, enlarged versions of Swedish shipbuilder Kockums' Västergötland class and originally referred to as the Type 471, were constructed between 1990 and 2003 in South Australia by the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC).

The submarines have been the subject of incidents and technical problems since the design phase, including accusations of foul play and bias during the design selection, improper handling of design changes during construction, major capability deficiencies in the first submarines, and ongoing technical problems throughout the early life of the class. These problems have been compounded by the inability of the RAN to retain sufficient personnel to operate the submarines—by 2008, only three could be manned, and between 2009 and 2012, on average two or fewer were fully operational. The resulting negative press has led to a poor public perception of the Collins class.

The Collins class was expected to be retired about 2026, however, the 2016 Defence White Paper extended this to into the 2030s. The Collins class life will now be extended and will receive an unplanned capability upgrade, including but not limited to: sonar and communications.

The Collins class will be replaced by the Future Submarine Program (SEA 1000) that is scheduled, according to the 2016 Defence White Paper, to begin entering service in the early 2030s with construction extending into the late 2040s to 2050. The Future Submarine Program will be based on the Shortfin Barracuda design by French company DCNS with twelve submarines to be acquired that will be built in Australia.