Home-built submarines deemed too expensive, too risky

Building a new fleet of submarines in Australia would be too risky and too expensive, the Abbott government has concluded.

Instead, the government is considering buying “off-the-shelf” options from Japan and Germany, with Japan’s Soryu- class boat the frontrunner.

As well as the risk and cost of building the submarines on home soil, such a project would require big infrastructure spending, whereas Japan has an established production line.

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