France Wins Bid to Build Australia Next-Generation Submarines

The French naval shipbuilding company DCNS has won a contract to build 12 next-generation submarines for the Australian fleet, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The contract worth some $38.5 billion is aimed at replacing Australia’s aging Collins-class fleet.

"Our future submarines, 12 regionally superior submarines, will be built here at Osborne, in South Australia. They will be designed in partnership with DCNS, the French naval shipbuilding company," Turnbull said during a press conference, broadcast by the Sky News Australia channel.

He added that the next-generation submarines would be "the most sophisticated naval vessels being built in the world."

The bids for the joint development of submarines for the Royal Australian Navy were also submitted by Germany and Japan.