Source: interestingengineering.com
Canberra says its latest US$3.2 billion investment proves the AUKUS nuclear submarine program is moving ahead as planned.
Australia announced on Friday that it will invest an additional A$4.6 billion (U.S.$3.2 billion) to expand its nuclear-powered submarine construction yard in South Australia, reinforcing its commitment to the AUKUS defense partnership despite growing concerns over costs, submarine delivery timelines, and production challenges.
The new funding will support the Osborne shipyard in South Australia, where future nuclear-powered submarines will be built under the trilateral AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The investment comes a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received fresh assurances from Britain’s new prime minister about the long-term defense partnership.
Funding expands shipyard and workforce
The latest allocation adds to the A$3.9 billion (U.S.$2.7 billion) already committed for the Osborne project, which the Australian government describes as one of the country’s largest industrial undertakings. The expanded construction yard is expected to include 50 buildings and will be about 10 times larger than the existing naval shipyard, where surface warships are already under construction.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said the investment shows the project is progressing. “This investment is another important step in building the sovereign capability Australia will need to build, operate, maintain and sustain our future submarine fleet,” he said.
