An Australian SSN transition through leases and production

Could Australia take retired Los Angeles-class submarines while it develops its own SSN force?

A bridge of leased boats and foreign construction could work, provided Australia uses it to establish its own production base.

Interim leased or foreign-built submarines could serve as a bridge to an Australian-built force. A couple of retired Los Angeles-class boats might provide early operating experience, while Britain or the United States built a small number of new submarines. American yards were already handling Virginia-class attack submarines and Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines, and Britain's Astute line had little spare room. The response also compares reactor refuelling cycles: British and American boats are described as having roughly 30-year intervals, while a French-built boat might have to return to France after about 10 years. Domestic construction and refuelling would keep more work and money in Australia. The proposed sequence is leasing, foreign construction, crew development, and finally an Australian production line.