Lisa Martin has written an excellent article for the The Guardian,
November 22, 2018, reporting:
"French
submarine boss summoned to Canberra for crisis talks:
‘Legitimate policy differences’ and ‘personality clashes’ said to be stalling
negotiations with Naval Group, tasked with building Australia’s $50bn new fleet..."
“...Naval Group chief
executive Hervé Guillou travelled from Paris to [Canberra, Australia] for two
days of discussions which kicked off on [November 22. 2018].
The federal government
is yet to finalise a strategic partnering agreement with Naval Group, which is
designing Australia’s fleet of 12 new submarines. There are hopes to have the
agreement sorted by Christmas...
“...If no headway is made
soon, the talks could be escalated to ministerial level or up to prime minister
Scott Morrison and French president Emmanuel Macron.”
“It’s
understood the sticking points on negotiations include warranty issues,the level of Australian content, as well as a potential sale
or merger between Naval Group and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.”
“...Meanwhile,
the federal government’s shipbuilder ASC, which is in charge of keeping six
Collins subs operating until the new fleet is ready, warns Naval Group is
poaching key staff...”
SEE THE WHOLE
GUARDIAN ARTICLE
Hi Pete
ReplyDeleteJapanese Cabinet is going to approve the development plan of large underwater drone (budget 37million USD, period 2019-2024, length 10m) in this December.
https://jp.sputniknews.com/opinion/201811205607558/
Regards