PRESS RELEASE : UK and Australian visit to British home of next-generation nuclear submarines [May 2023]

• Australia Prime Minister and UK Defence Secretary visit Barrow-in-Furness shipyard
• Follows AUKUS submarine joint announcement by UK, Australia and US leaders
• Programme will deliver on the Prime Minister’s priorities by supporting thousands of UK jobs over the coming decades

Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese and UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace have today visited the shipyard where the next generation of AUKUS nuclear submarines will be built for the Royal Navy.

Australia and the UK will both build the new submarines, known as ‘SSN-AUKUS’, to the world-leading British-led design, with construction of the UK’s submarines taking place in Barrow-in-Furness.

Australia will work over the next decade to develop its submarine industrial base and will build its submarines in South Australia.

This massive multilateral undertaking will create thousands of jobs in the UK in the decades ahead – delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy – and building on more than 60 years of British expertise designing, building and operating nuclear-powered submarines.

The three AUKUS nations are committed to further collaboration that will strengthen joint capabilities, enhance technology sharing, and integrate our industrial bases while bolstering each country’s security regime.

As part of today’s visit, the Australian Prime Minister and UK Defence Secretary had the opportunity to engage with staff and apprentices working on the construction of both the Astute-class and Dreadnought-class submarines.

The first UK SSN-AUKUS submarines built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce and will be delivered in the late 2030s to replace the current Astute-Class vessels, with the first Australian submarines following in the early 2040s.

Stability in the Indo-Pacific region is an enduring priority for the AUKUS partnership and the interoperable submarine design will ensure we stand side-by-side with our Australian and US allies to face threats and deter aggression.

At its core, the AUKUS security partnership between the United Kingdom, Australia and United States will promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, seeking to ensure it is secure and stable for the coming decades.

Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said:

My visit to Barrow-In-Furness underlines my personal commitment to delivering this trilateral enterprise and the importance of AUKUS.

I look forward to having Australians training alongside the highly skilled submarine builders here in Barrow-In-Furness.

I thank Secretary Wallace for hosting me on this important visit.

To deliver the new submarines by the earliest possible date, Royal Australian Navy personnel will be embedded in the Royal Navy and US Navy, and – subject to necessary arrangements – at British and American submarine industrial bases, by the end of this year. This process will accelerate the training of Australian personnel required for them to operate a submarine fleet. In support of this objective, a number of Royal Australian Navy personnel have commenced nuclear training in the UK.

The SSN-AUKUS submarines will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel.

This decades-long programme will create thousands of jobs both in UK shipyards and across the supply chain, with billions of pounds already invested in submarine building at multiple UK sites.

UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said:

The SSN-AUKUS submarines will protect the Euro-Atlantic region for decades to come – and with their interoperable submarine design, will ensure mutual compatibility with our Australian and US allies – alongside supporting jobs across the UK and demonstrating the experience and skill which embodies British industry.

On the visit, the parties also toured BAE Systems’ training academy that is helping develop the world-class engineering skills required to design, build and deliver complex submarine programmes.

As announced at the Budget in March, an additional £5 billion will be provided to the Government over the next two years, some of which will be spent on modernising the UK’s nuclear enterprise and funding the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme. This will be followed by sustained funding across the next decade to support the SSN-AUKUS programme.