UK companies to design, manufacture AUKUS nuclear submarines
UK companies a 4 billion pound ( USD 4.9 bn) contract to design and manufacture a nuclear-powered attack submarine as part of the country's AUKUS programme with Australia and the United States, Al Jazeera reported.
The first of the submarines will be delivered into service in the UK in the late 2030s and the first Australian ones will follow in the early 2040s.
The SSN-AUKUS program aims to enhance the capabilities of the UK, Australia, and the US to counter regional security challenges, particularly from China in the Asia-Pacific region, Al Jazeera reported.
UK's Defence Ministry in a statement on Sunday said that the contract with BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Babcock «represents a significant milestone for both the UK and the trilateral AUKUS programme as a whole».
It said that the new submarines, known as SSN-AUKUS, «will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated» by the Royal Navy and will «combine world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel».
The plans for SSN-AUKUS were unveiled in March by the leaders of Australia, the UK and the US and came as the three countries ramped up their efforts to counter China in the Asia Pacific region.
The nuclear-powered vessels — which have far greater stealth and range and mark the first time Washington has shared nuclear-propulsion technology with a country other than the UK — represent a significant upgrade to Australia's current diesel-powered fleet, as per Al Jazeera.
Previously, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles described the AUKUS deal as «the biggest step forward in our military capability that we've had since the end of World War II».
Through the AUKUS, Washington intends to sell Canberra up to five of its
