Australian companies to join UK submarine supply chain

Defence has announced the development and extension of two significant programs to help local industry tap into the submarine supply chains of Australia’s AUKUS partners. This will help secure high-value manufacturing contracts that support Australian jobs, and develop robust and resilient supply chains, says Defence.

The Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification program (AUSSQ), established in 2025, has been expanded, linking businesses in Australia to the United Kingdom’s submarine supply chains for the first time as well as building on the success of the pilot in growing access to supply chains in the United States, the department adds.

ASC and BAE Systems have also launched a new supply chain qualification program, giving Australian industry the opportunity to contribute to the SSN-AUKUS build program across both Australia and the UK.

Less than a year after the launch of the AUSSQ, Defence is investing an additional $21 million to significantly expand this program, it says. Some $6.9 million will go towards supporting Australian suppliers to provide priority sustainment services to the UK submarines participating in the Submarine Rotational Force – West activities at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia.

This work will validate and qualify Australian businesses against 20 service types identified by Babcock International Group as being in high demand across the Astute-class submarine supply chain, and give local industry a direct link to UK sustainment requirements.

“Expanding the AUSSQ program to support the sustainment of the United Kingdom’s Astute class submarines is another important step in strengthening the industrial partnerships at the heart of AUKUS,” said Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence.

“I also welcome the qualification program from our Sovereign Submarine Partners which adds yet another pathway for industry right across the nation to enter the supply chains of not just Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program, but of our AUKUS partners as well,” he added.

A further $14 million is also being invested to expand the existing AUSSQ program which is qualifying Australian companies to join the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding supply chain in the US. This next tranche will see businesses with expertise in composites, glass-reinforced plastics, furniture and joinery, able to compete for opportunities in US nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier supply chains. AUSSQ is delivered by HII Australia through H&B Defence, a joint venture between HII and Babcock.

“The AUSSQ program is already demonstrating the quality contribution that Australian companies can make to AUKUS supply chains, supporting export opportunities and Australian jobs,” said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry.

“Australian industry support to US and UK maintenance activities not only helps keep their submarines at sea, it also strengthens Australia’s industrial capability to support Australia’s future fleet of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines.”

This announcement builds on the success of the program, which to date has seen 13 companies achieve supplier qualifications and takes the Albanese Government’s total investment in AUSSQ to nearly $40 million dollars, says Defence.

The new supply chain qualification program, led by Australia’s Sovereign Submarine Partners ASC and BAE Systems, will give Australian industry the opportunity to contribute expertise and capabilities to the supply chains for both the Australian and UK nuclear-powered submarines (SSN-AUKUS) build programs, Defence adds.

Expressions of interest for this program are now open via the SSN-AUKUS Build Program Industry Capability Network Portal.

To support it ASC and BAE will initially seek expressions of interest from Australian suppliers able to produce a range of metal fabrications, from small to large structural fabrications. This opportunity will be open to current defence suppliers and companies seeking to enter the defence industry supply chain.

Australia’s SSN-AUKUS will be a trilaterally-developed submarine based on the UK’s next generation design that incorporates technology from all three nations, including cutting edge US submarine technologies.

With construction of Australia’s first SSN‑AUKUS submarine in Osborne by the end of this decade on track, around 5,500 jobs will be created to support this in South Australia, says Defence.