Senator James Paterson

Senator PATERSON: Can you unpack that with a little bit more detail, please, about the advantages of range and stealth of a nuclear powered submarine compared to a conventional diesel or electric submarine? Mr Dewar : Sure, of course. I will note that, for details about submarine capability, I would defer to colleagues at defence who are submariners. The key difference is that conventionally powered submarines need to surface from time to time to recharge batteries by running diesel engines, whereas nuclear powered submarines can continue operating underwater for a longer period of time, therefore maintaining the key attribute of stealth. I think that is really the key driver in the capability behind the assessment about the preference for nuclear powered submarines.