Photo: flickr.com
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters that the submarine contract with the French Naval Group consortium had been canceled for objective reasons.
The contract had “very serious problems,” Morrison said. Another reason was the numerous delays in the implementation of the project and increased costs.
Morrison explained that the first submarine under the treaty would not be launched until near 2038.
“That is, it would become obsolete when it touched the water, “- said a representative of Australia.
The Australian authorities wanted a nuclear submarine again, so they began to study the possibilities of this step. The search for alternative partners began 18 months ago, added Morrison.
French Foreign Minister Le Drian previously called the end of Australia's “submarine treaty” on submarine construction a “stab in the back.” He expressed “great bitterness” over the decision of the Australian authorities.
Previously, the Australians terminated a major submarine contract with the French company NAVAL GROUP to strengthen relations with the United States and the United Kingdom, valued at $ 66 billion./p>