Episode 142

There has been more news about AUKUS Pillar One and the developing story that Australia will no longer receive two second hand and one new Virginia class submarine from the US - as had been previously promised. The government is all over the shop, claiming that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz somehow justifies the acquisition of SSNs. No it doesn't - submarines are almost completely useless in the current scenario because you can't use them for clearing minefields or shooting down swarms of drones.

Under the original deal the new submarine was to be a Block VII Virginia, delivered in 2038. Block VII is much more powerful than the second hand Block IV.s They will carry 40 Tomahawk surface attack cruise missiles, compared with 12 for a Block IV. They will also have features for protecting undersea cables and launching a variety of uncrewed systems. Put simply, a Block VII is a far more powerful, modern, deterrent than Block IV.

Any official who says Block IVs are preferred because they are cheaper to maintain - even though they cannot say how much cheaper - should be sacked. A single Block VII carries as many Tomahawks as three and a half Block IVs.

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