The German company bidding to build Australia's next fleet of submarines will "replicate" itself, potentially in Adelaide, and transform the country into a regional hub serving the navies of the Pacific for decades to come, if it wins. 
The German government is willing to grant Australia unprecedented access to its latest air independent propulsion (AIP) technology, as well as audit ThyssenKrupp's bid, if it is successful in winning the contract which could be worth as much as $40 billion spanning over 30 years.
Speaking to Australian journalists from their shipyards in northern Germany, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) executives said the company would establish itself in Australia, potentially expand or even buy the ASC shipyards in South Australia from the government and equip Australian shipbuilders with the skills to build what they claim are the world's best conventional submarines.
TKMS is one of three bidders vying to win the order. TKMS has publicly said it could build the submarines in Australia for $20 billion not including maintenance costs, which brings the total value closer to $40 billion.
And in a direct response to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's call for the economy to shift from relying on resources to one centred on innovation and hi-tech manufacturing, TKMS said their proposal could gift Australia a highly developed shipbuilding industry on par with the Germans who are considered a world-leader.
TKMS' board chairman, Dr Hans Christoph Atzpodien, said they would make Australia a "regional hub" for shipbuilding, "serving the [navies] of the Pacific."
And sales vice-president Robert Budell said: "We want to turn it into a local hub for the region depending on other navies ... so it gives us huge opportunities."
Latika Bourke travelled to Germany as a guest of the German Government.