- First-of-its-kind project to develop cutting-edge
uncrewed underwater technologies as AUKUS nations ‘step on the
accelerator' for Pillar 2.
- Follows first successful submarine maintenance period for a
UK submarine at HMAS Stirling earlier this year, as UK and US
submarines set to rotate through the Australian base from 2027.
- Additionally, three British companies named amongst winners
of the UK 2025 AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge, receiving a
share of £3 million.
Pioneering technologies deployed from uncrewed underwater vessels
have been announced by AUKUS Defence Ministers at a meeting in
Singapore which pushed forward progress in the trilateral
security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and
the United States.
The joint development of transformational tech is the first
signature project to be announced under Pillar 2 of the
partnership, with the first capabilities expected in service next
year.
Under AUKUS, Pillar 1 focuses on Australia's acquisition of
conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, while Pillar 2
pools the talents of each nations' defence sector to develop
advanced military capabilities to support security around the
world.
Announced by Defence Secretary MP alongside US Secretary of
War Pete Hegseth and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard
Marles in Singapore, the new project will see AUKUS partners
‘step on the accelerator' for Pillar 2 of the programme to
develop, produce and deploy cutting-edge technologies carried by
uncrewed underwater vessels (UUV). The work shows how AUKUS
partners are collaborating to rapidly develop groundbreaking
maritime capabilities to boost warfighting readiness.
This work will support the development of payloads, such as
sensors and weapons systems, that can be deployed across all
three nations' UUV fleets, increasing collective strength and
deterrence across the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic. This
project will provide opportunities for UK industry in furthering
work on underwater capabilities, supporting good jobs and growth
across the nation.
Defence Secretary MP said:
"AUKUS is delivering for our security and for our economy.
Together we are announcing ground-breaking underwater
capabilities that will keep Britain safe, backing British
businesses that are driving growth, and standing shoulder to
shoulder with our closest allies. This is what modern defence
looks like. We're stepping on the accelerator to develop
cutting-edge tech to boost our collective deterrence and support
our shared security."
The first capabilities are expected to be in service by 2027 and
will help drive the Royal Navy's transition to a Hybrid Navy - a
more flexible, modern force that blends crewed and uncrewed
platforms. The payloads will allow the Royal Navy to detect
underwater threats to the UK and allies' critical undersea
infrastructure. The Royal Navy will be able to integrate payloads
from the US and Australia, meaning a more effective and lethal
force. The tech will be used to reinforce the future SSN-AUKUS
attack submarine fleet.
Defence Secretary also announced the winners of
the 2025 AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge. The challenge is
the second iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2's Innovation Challenge
Series and sought companies innovating which enable the command,
control and teaming of undersea systems. Three of the four
winning suppliers are UK based:
- Decision Analysis Services Ltd., an SME based in Basingstoke
- SEA Ltd., a large enterprise based in Frome
- A-2i, a micro-consultancy based in Dorchester, Dorset
- MSI Transducers, a large enterprise based near Boston, USA
The winners show the breadth and diversity of innovation across
AUKUS innovation: three UK and one US company, one SME, two large
suppliers, and one micro-consultancy. Each company will receive a
share of £3 million in funding to develop and test their
capabilities.
This investment in three British companies demonstrates how
defence is driving economic growth across the UK, creating
skilled jobs and opportunities for companies of all sizes. The UK
Government is committed to backing SMEs and scalable business.
The AUKUS Defence Ministers also announced progress in
establishing Submarine Rotational Force-West, which will see a
rotational presence of UK and US nuclear-powered submarines at
HMAS Stirling in Australia. The first rotation of a
nuclear-powered US submarine to HMAS Stirling is expected in
2027, to be followed by a UK Astute Class submarine. This follows
the first successful submarine maintenance period (SMP) conducted
on a UK Astute class submarine at HMAS Stirling earlier this
year.
Today's announcements are the latest in a series of significant
milestones delivered by this Government under AUKUS, building on
the Geelong Treaty signed in July 2025, which established the
framework for the deepest level of bilateral UK-Australian
defence cooperation in generations.
The AUKUS partnership is backed by the largest sustained increase
in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – hitting 2.6%
of GDP from 2027.
