The French won a mega-contract for the construction of submarines

French company DCNS has received the largest contract for 56 billion euros for the construction of 12 new generation submarines for Australia. The DCNS concern won the tender for the German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the Japanese Mitsubishi. The rejection of the Japanese offer is a blow to the strategy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to develop the export of military equipment as part of a policy of strengthening security. This is the largest contract in Australian defense history.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said French-designed submarines would be built at the Australian hub in Adelaide. “The French proposal represents an opportunity that can meet Australia's most unique needs,” the Prime Minister told reporters. The contract will involve thousands of shipyard workers in the state of South Australia.

“The project assumes that Australian workers will build submarines from Australian steel,” Turnbull said. The French proposed the Barracuda nuclear submarine, powered by a diesel-electric ship, which was built for the French Navy. The Australian version will be 97 meters long with a displacement of 4,500 tons.