[CBC News] The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia will jointly develop unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) under the AUKUS security pact.
On May 30 at the Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore, Pete Hegseth, John Healey and Richard Marles held a joint press conference to unveil the effort.
Hegseth said, “This core project will deliver a highly adaptable, multi‑role UUV payload designed to support underwater operations and preserve our collective advantage in the maritime domain.” Healey added that the partners will jointly develop advanced sensors and weapons for underwater drones to rapidly field cutting‑edge battlefield technologies. “There has been a lot of talk in AUKUS but too little action,” he said.
Launched in 2021, AUKUS is organized around two lines of effort: “Pillar 1,” focused on jointly developing nuclear‑powered submarines, and “Pillar 2,” which covers cooperation on advanced defense technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, undersea systems, hypersonics and cyber. The new UUV initiative falls under Pillar 2.
After the U.S. government changed hands last year, Washington reviewed the AUKUS agreement negotiated under the previous administration but opted to keep the partnership intact.
Under the plan, U.S. Navy Virginia‑class nuclear‑powered attack submarines (SSNs) will begin rotating to Australia next year. Australia also plans to acquire Virginia‑class boats in the early 2030s. The U.K. and Australia will co‑develop an AUKUS‑class nuclear‑powered attack submarine using U.S. technology and build them at their own shipyards; the U.K. expects delivery of its first vessel in the late 2030s and Australia in the early 2040s.
The Australian government will invest A$3.9 billion (approximately 2.57 billion USD) to build AUKUS‑class submarine construction facilities at Osborne near Adelaide in South Australia. It also plans to spend A$12 billion (approximately 7.92 billion USD) over the next decade to establish a nuclear‑submarine maintenance and sustainment hub near HMAS Stirling in Perth. The U.S. Department of Defense has approved a naval unit to support the submarine rotational force (SRF‑West) in Western Australia, and U.S. Navy personnel are scheduled to begin rotating there by the end of this year.
In a joint statement, the three defense ministers said SRF‑West will support submarine deployments and accelerate Australia’s ability to independently operate and maintain nuclear submarines.
Separately from AUKUS, Australia is investing A$1.7 billion (approximately 1.12 billion USD) to develop the “Ghost Shark,” a large, long‑range autonomous reconnaissance and attack UUV.
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▮ CBC News | CBCNEWS Reporter Ha Young‑su
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