French shipyard DCNS has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Australian company Quickstep to collaborate on the production of naval vessel components and assemblies for Australia’s Future submarines.
In April this year, the Australian Government selected DCNS as the preferred international partner for the Sea 1000 Future Submarine Program.
Under the programme, DCNS will design 12 future submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.
Quickstep CEO and managing director David Marino said: "The application of Quickstep’s carbon fibre composites expertise for the marine defence industry is a natural extension of our technology. We are delighted to commence this partnership with DCNS which is an acknowledged world leader in naval defence systems.
"The MoU provides opportunities for Quickstep to participate in DCNS’s supply chain and for the potential use of our technology in submarine platforms in Australia and overseas."
As part of the partnership agreement, Quickstep will develop representative demonstrator components in the next twelve months.
A Quickstep / DCNS committee will test Quickstep’s process technologies for naval applications.
Currently, Quickstep is involved in the F-35 joint strike fighter programme and is a partner with aerospace / defence organisations, including the US Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Airbus, Thales, and BAE.
Image: Representatives of DCNS and Quickstep during the signing of MoU. Photo: courtesy of DCNS.
