Australian Submarine Corporation
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The ASC, formerly Australian Submarine Corporation, is a wholly government-owned Australian naval defence company headquartered at Osborne in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1985 by a consortium of four organisations, ASC was brought under direct Government control in 2000 and the company today has over 1000 employees. As of 2006, Government plans to divest or privatise the company remained deferred.
ASC rose to prominence in 1987 when it was contracted by the Australian Government to design and manufacture a fleet of six "Collins Class" submarines for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in what was the largest defence contract ever signed in Australia. Although the submarine project was marred with difficulties throughout the 1990s mostly because of complications with the Kockums design, upon completion, the Collins' Class were hailed as the most advanced diesel-electric submarines in the world. ASC maintains the Collins Class fleet for their operational lifespans under a AU$3.5 billion contract with RAN.
In 2005 the company was selected by the Australian Government as the preferred shipbuilder for three new AEGIS-based Australian air warfare destroyers (AWD) under the Sea 4000 project. The AWDs are scheduled for completion between 2013-2017.
