News just in ...Thu, September 16, 2021, 1:02 PMSYDNEY, Sept 16...

News just in ...
Thu, September 16, 2021, 1:02 PM
SYDNEY, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Australia will build eight nuclear-powered submarines under a new Indo-Pacific security partnership with the United States and Britain that analysts say will likely rile China, which will see the pact as an attempt to contain it.Australia will be only the second country after Britain in 1958 to be given access to U.S. nuclear technology to build nuclear-powered submarines."Our world is becoming more complex, especially here in our region, the Indo-Pacific," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison."To meet these challenges, to help deliver the security and stability our region needs, we must now take our partnership to a new level."In announcing the new security group on Wednesday, the leaders of the United States, Australia and Britain did not mention China, but Washington and its allies are seeking to push back against its growing power and influence, particularly its military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and deployments in the contested South China Sea.
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/australia-build-eight-nuclear-powered-060229321.html

QHL needs to get involved in this big time !!
Composite solutions: Cutting cost of nuclear-powered subs Composite-for-metal substitutions cut expense, boost production for Virginia-class submarine program.
https://www.compositesworld.com/articles/composite-solutions-cutting-cost-of-nuclear-powered-subs

Engineering Challenge:Use composites to reduce the per-vessel acquisition cost by multiple millions of dollars for each Virginia-class submarine without decreasing performance.Design Solution: Develop a tail cone, sail cusp and low-cost impeller, each using different materials and processes, to achieve $5.5 million in savings per vessel, as well as weight savings and a decrease in construction time.

Touted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) as the most advanced submarine in the world, the Virginia-class is the newest addition to U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet. Measuring 377 ft/115m in length, 34 ft/10.4m in diameter, a Virginia-class submarine (VCS) can exceed 25 knots underwater and can remain submerged for three months. When the class namesake, the USS Virginia (SSN-774), was launched in 2004, however, its $3.2 billion (USD) price tag exceeded, by far, the estimated unit acquisition cost for the planned fleet of 30-plus boats. When construction began in fiscal year (FY) 2005 on a second vessel, the USS Missouri (SSN 780), only $2.4 billion was budgeted. But the chief of naval operations, Admiral Mike Mullen, challenged the program partners to reduce the future acquisition cost by an additional 20 percent as a condition for increasing production from one to two vessels per year,

The ManTech objective was a low-cost composite alternative with no reduction in performance. Osborn explains, “When we moved to composite, we were able to net-shape fabricate, using a mold without additional machining.” Impeller parts wee resin transfer molded using carbon- and glass-fiber reinforcements with vinyl ester resin, which were then assembled and overwrapped with filament-wound fiberglass. The program reduced part cost by roughly $550,000 per submarine and shortened its build schedule from nine to three months. It has also led to a more complex impeller development program, slated for implementation on the VCS as well.