BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED CONTRACT FOR NEXT PHASE OF AUKUS SUBMARINE PROGRAMME

SSN-AUKUS will be the largest, most powerful and advanced attack submarine the Royal Navy has ever operated and will eventually replace the Astute class, which BAE Systems builds at its site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

The funding follows the AUKUS announcement in March by the leaders of Australia, the UK and the United States. This will eventually see Australia and the UK operate SSN-AUKUS submarines, which will be based on the UK’s next-generation design, incorporating technology from all three nations, including cutting-edge US submarine technologies.

Having started early design work in 2021, the £3.95bn funding will cover development work to 2028, enabling BAE Systems to move into the detailed design phase of the programme and begin to procure long-lead items. Manufacture will start towards the end of the decade with the first SSN-AUKUS boat due to be delivered in the late 2030s.

BAE Systems has already delivered five of seven Astute class submarines to the Royal Navy with the remaining two boats at advanced stages of construction. The Company is also designing and building the UK's next-generation nuclear deterrent submarine, Dreadnought, with work underway on three of the four new boats.