Defence to get three Virginia-class Block IV submarines, AUKUS allies to invest in undersea capabilities

Defence will get three second-hand Virginia-class Block IV submarines from the US Navy in about 2032, 2035 and 2038. And the RAN, US Navy and RN have signed an AUKUS Pillar II Signature Project agreement delivering common Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) sensors, effectors and enabling systems that can be used across each country’s UUV fleets.

“The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries welcomed the proposed approach to streamline Australia’s acquisition of Virginia-class submarines (VCS), simplifying supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximising cost efficiencies,” said the official communique of the three AUKUS defence ministers, Richard Marles, Pete Hegseth and John Healy on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.  “This approach would enable Australia to acquire three in-service VCS in lieu of a mixture of new and in-service VCS variants.”

The Block IV displaces 7,900 tonnes, has 12 vertical launchers for Tomahawk cruise missiles and four 533mm torpedo tubes for the submarine’s 25 Mk48 torpedoes. Each submarine would have more than 20 year’s life left in the reactor. Australia had planned to acquire a new-build Virginia-class Block VII submarine along with two second-hand Virginia-class boats, but a Block VII would have been almost a new class of submarine: it displaces 10,200 tons, is nearly 26m longer and is equipped behind the sail with the Virginia Payload Module  (VPM) which enables carriage of 28 Tomahawk missiles, as well as enabling enhanced special forces capabilities.

Reshaping the Approved Pathway to acquire three identical second-hand boats represents a prudent step, says Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

They three defence ministers also announced the first AUKUS Pillar II Signature Project: developing advanced payloads and enabling systems for AUKUS partners’ Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles (UUVs), with delivery starting in 2027.  The partners will develop national payloads at first that will be interchangeable across the other partners’ UUVs, before jointly developing trilateral payloads and enabling technologies.

Each country is developing its own UUVs: in Australia’s case Anduril is developing the Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL-AUV) and C2 Robotics is developing the Speartooth Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LUUV), though Defence has not said what type of sensors or effectors they will carry.

“This project is intended to significantly enhance AUKUS partners’ ability to protect critical national seabed infrastructure; deploy cutting edge surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities; conduct logistics operations; and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare, and contested littoral manoeuvre,” the communique says.