UK invests $4 billion to fund new phase of nuclear-powered submarine project

According to government authorities, Britain has signed contracts worth 4 billion pounds ($4.8 billion) to fund a new phase of the SSN-AUKUS next-generation attack submarine project.

The accords, which involve British corporations BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and Babcock, are part of the AUKUS military alliance formed by the US, Australia, and the UK to fight China in the Asia-Pacific area.

“(The) submarines will empower the Royal Navy to maintain our strategic advantage under the sea,” UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said at the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester on Sunday.

Last March, AUKUS officials announced the collaborative submarine project, which will see Australia replace its diesel-powered submarines with nuclear-powered submarines with significantly greater stealth and range.

The concept calls for Australia to buy US nuclear-powered submarines and then create a new type using US and British technologies.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised it as “the most important multilateral defence agreement for generations”.

In a separate statement, BAE Systems said that the future SSN-AUKUS “will be the largest, most powerful and most advanced submarine” supplied to the Royal Navy.

The British military equipment maker said the investment will “cover development work until 2028”, and the “recruitment of more than 5,000 people” at its Barrow-in-Furness site in northern England.

The first examples of this submarine are due to be delivered in the late 2030s.

Nuclear-powered submarines are difficult to detect, can travel great distances for long periods, and can carry sophisticated cruise missiles.