CANBERRA, Australia, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Collins-class submarines of the Royal Australian Navy are to receive upgrades to their integrated control management and monitoring system.
The Australian Department of Defense said the work will be performed by shipbuilder ASC Pty Ltd under a $51.9 million contract and will be performed at the company's facilities in South Australia.
"Work under the ... contract will focus on updating electronic components and porting the software to operate on the new system," said Minister of Defense David Johnston. "The current Ship Control Management and Monitoring System has performed effectively and reliably since the Collins class entered service in the 1990s. However, it is essential to upgrade the current system to ensure the system can be maintained for the remaining service life of the Collins Class fleet."
In addition to the system upgrades, the contract covers the design, development and manufacture of system hardware for two boats, the updating of a shore-based test facility and a platform simulation trainer.
ASC said it has contracted Saab of Sweden for work on the project, which runs until 2016.
