Does Collins submarine software still work properly?

How could the Collins submarine system supposedly not work, in 1993 ?

• The vast majority of the algorithms would at least work for the vast majority of test cases. What's going on, if this isn't so ?

• Answer:

  These Swedish designed and Australian built submarines employed an unproven American Raytheon SCCS Mk 2 Tactical Data and Fire Control system employing Motorola 68000 processors with the first boat being commissioned in July 1996. Significant problems were experiened in software integration in the Raytheon CDS, ensuring that none of the class became fully operational until after 2000. The final Version 2.0 software wasn't delivered until 1999 and required a year of sea trials for approval. As someone who used to do software testing for a living I can assure you system integration is not always an easy thing. The combat system hardware was AFAIK replaced from 2005 by Raytheon's CCS Mk 2 system. It is highly unusual to replace an entire CDS after less than a decade of use. Most naval vessels go to the scrapyard with the same CDS they were built with. Besides the severe combat system software deficiencies there were problems with the boats themselves as well. Flow problems that dramatically reduced the performance of the Thales passive sonar system, cracked propellers, periscope vibration, engine and gearbox seal problems. In 2003 SSG 76 Dechaineux is reported to have nearly been lost due to a burst pipe which caused the recall of all boats of the class for refitting. The final problem has nothing to do with the boats themselves but rather the inability of the RAN to train and retain enough personel to operate them. Of the 6 boats in service there have been times where only 3 and even just 1 were fully operational due to shortages of qualified manpower.