Australia urged to lease subs

Australia would save billions of dollars if it leased used US nuclear submarines to replace the troubled Collins-class fleet, an American naval expert says.

''If you want to utilise the submarine force for long-range missions the nuclear submarine is the queen of the seas,'' Sam Tangredi, a former US naval captain turned academic and strategic analyst, told The Canberra Times.

Dr Tangredi, who was in Canberra to speak at an anti-submarine warfare forum at the Australian Defence College, said taking over some of the submarines due to be retired early by the US Navy as part of its defence cuts was almost certainly the cheapest way to build an interim Australian underwater capability.

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