Australia and Britain said they would strike a bilateral treaty to produce a new class of nuclear-powered submarine, under the AUKUS partnership which also includes the United States.
Australia will buy U.S. Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines from the United States in the next decade, with Britain and Australia later building a new class of AUKUS submarine at Barrow-in-Furness in Britain, and in South Australia, under the AUKUS pact announced in 2023.
"We will be negotiating a treaty, a bilateral treaty, between Australia and the UK to enable our portion of AUKUS," Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters after a meeting with his British and U.S. counterparts on Thursday in London.
"We will be operating the same class of submarine. So when you look at the industrial cooperation, the technology transfer, the way in which all of those mechanisms operate to do that, that is the subject of the treaty," he added.
British Defense Secretary John Healey said the meeting of AUKUS defense ministers had also agreed to use British-made Stingray torpedoes in P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft which are used as submarine-hunting aircraft in the Indo Pacific region.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the AUKUS partners had conducted significant experiments across the ground, undersea and electromagnetic spectrum to enhance war-fighting capabilities as part of cooperation under the so-called AUKUS "Pillar Two".
A joint statement said the AUKUS partners were increasing their ability to develop and deliver offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies, and will conduct a large scale drone exercise later this year.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
8 Comments
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Wasabi
Unless they break the contract like last time with the French.
wtfjapan
Unless they break the contract like last time with the French.
the French only offered an iferior diesel electric sub, 7 yrs of waiting and not even 1 sub had stated production, yeah id cancel that as well.
The AUKUS sub will be nuclear, based off tech from the UK Dreadnought Class and US Virginia class
M3M3M3
I think the bigger question is whether the AUKUS sub "will be" at all. Alot can change by the late 2030s when these subs are expected to set sail.
JJE
Pig Iron Bob would be jumping for joy.
Canberra will get duds and be left holding the bucket.
Fighto!
Should have gone with the Russian Kursk subs, I guess?
LOL
funkymofo
The only disadvantage of choosing the British option over the French is the food at the junkets.
JJE
or Thresher or Scorpion.
elephant200
Australia is a big retardant of submarine production. Their Collins class says all, they are amateurs!