We have an idea, but only by joining the dots.
- Scomo has said that he'd want the first Australian built boat to be laid down within this decade in the initial announcement, and it will take the better part of a decade to build depending on local content.
- In the presser the other day he said it was unacceptable that the Attack class would enter service as late as 2038.
- The Admiral said in Senate Estimates that we will get a mature, existing design meaning an Astute or Virginia rather than the British SSN(R) or US SSN(X) which won't be started until the 2030s to enter service in the 2040s.
This means the first SSN ideally should enter service in 2035 or so and the rest following at 2-3 year intervals.
The operational area for RAN subs is more or less the South China Sea, that's why the Collins and Attack class diesel subs were so big and why SSNs are so suitable for the RAN. Just as a matter of interest the seabed contours is why subs are based in Perth rather than Darwin.