The AUKUS partners have streamlined Australia’s planned acquisition of US-built Virginia-class submarines under Pillar 1, with the country now set to receive three in-service boats rather than a mixture of new and in-service variants, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The change was confirmed in a joint statement issued by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and UK Defence Secretary John Healey following a meeting at the US Embassy in Singapore on 30 May.
The statement said the ministers “welcomed the proposed approach to streamline Australia’s acquisition of Virginia-class submarines, simplifying supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximising cost efficiencies,” adding that “this approach would enable Australia to acquire three in-service VCS in lieu of a mixture of new and in-service VCS variants.”
The original Pillar 1 plan agreed in March 2023 envisaged the United States selling Australia three Virginia-class boats from the early 2030s, with the option of a further two if needed, and with the early transfers expected to comprise a mix of existing US Navy boats and newly produced submarines. The Singapore statement removes that mixed-variant element in favour of a cleaner arrangement using only boats already in US Navy service. The shift is intended to reduce complexity for the Royal Australian Navy as it stands up its sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability, while easing pressure on US shipyards that have been struggling to meet the existing Virginia-class production rate.
The ministers also confirmed the finalisation of arrangements for establishing Submarine Rotational Force-West at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia in 2027. The United States has authorised the establishment of US Navy support elements for SRF-West and will begin rotating the first US Navy personnel to HMAS Stirling later this year. The United Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to a rotational presence and noted the successful Submarine Maintenance Period conducted earlier this year by HMS Anson, a Royal Navy Astute-class submarine.
On the longer-term programme, the statement said significant progress has been made in the design and delivery of SSN-AUKUS, the next-generation attack submarine to be operated by both the UK and Australia, with delivery underpinned by investments from both nations including £6 billion committed by the UK in 2025. The first UK-built SSN-AUKUS boats are expected to enter service in the late 2030s, with the first Australian-built boats following in the early 2040s.
The ministers acknowledged Australia’s planned investments of up to A$8 billion at SRF-West for infrastructure and logistics support at HMAS Stirling, alongside initial down payments of A$3.9 billion to deliver a new Submarine Construction Yard in South Australia and A$12 billion for the Henderson Defence Precinct, which will support contingency docking and depot-level maintenance.
On industry, the statement confirmed support for expanding the AUKUS licence-free environment between the three partners by taking expeditious and practical steps to narrow the list of excluded technologies, and reaffirmed the value of the Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum.
The Trump administration completed a review of AUKUS Pillar 1 in late 2025, publicly affirming its support for the programme. The Singapore announcement is the most substantive operational refinement of Pillar 1 since that review concluded.
Lots long words, waffhel anf other catch words in that, must have been writern by some government stating some thing, that might or could happen but then again might change with no real set in stone time line or any numbers of future subs.
Makes sense for Australia to get older boats from the same class. Virginia block 5 or 6 would probably be too large for their needs.