The Government has announced the development and extension of two programs to help local industry tap into the supply chains of our AUKUS partners.
These are the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification program (AUSSQ), which 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 second program is ASC and BAE Systems' new supply chain qualification program, giving Australian industry the opportunity to contribute to the SSN-AUKUS build program across both Australia and the UK.
“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," Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, said.
“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."
Less than a year after the launch of Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification Program (AUSSQ), the Government has provided an additional $21 million to significantly expand this program.
$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.
AUSSQ is delivered by HII Australia through H&B Defence, a joint venture between HII and Babcock.
“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," Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, stated.
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.
“The upskilling of Australian companies to UK supply chain standards ensures they are ready to support Royal Navy Astute‑class submarines in Australia, while also enabling them to compete for work directly within the UK submarine supply chain. It demonstrates our commitment to creating real, two‑way industrial opportunities under AUKUS," Babcock Australasia Acting CEO, Leah Grantham, highlighted.
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.
“From HII’s perspective, this approach expands trusted capacity, reduces duplication, and creates a more resilient submarine sustainment ecosystem. It also means Australian suppliers are positioned to contribute meaningfully across Virginia-class, Astute-class and SSN-AUKUS activity over the long term," HII President Global Security and H&B Defence Board Chair, Michael Lempke, affirmed.
The program has seen 13 companies achieve supplier qualifications. The Government’s total investment in AUSSQ is almost $40 million dollars in total.
“As a joint venture between HII and Babcock, H&B Defence was established to deliver the full range of sovereign capabilities required for Australia’s nuclear‑powered submarine program — from workforce and infrastructure to defueling, decommissioning, waste management and long‑term sustainment — ensuring readiness for both Virginia‑class submarines and SSN‑AUKUS. Our rapid integration of the three AUKUS nations’ submarine industrial bases through AUSSQ demonstrates that mission in practice," H&B Defence Managing Director, Tim Brown, explained.
A 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.
To support this 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 US submarine technologies.
Construction on Australia’s first SSN‑AUKUS submarine in Osborne by the end of this decade is on track. Expressions of interest for this program are now open via the SSN-AUKUS Build Program Industry Capability Network Portal.