As part of the AUKUS Program, the British company Rolls-Royce has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian government with the goal of developing local capabilities, among others, to sustain the future fleet of new nuclear-powered attack submarines to be operated by the Royal Australian Navy.
Rolls-Royce’s participation in the AUKUS program stems from an agreement signed in 2023, which confirmed that the UK-based company would be responsible for supplying the nuclear reactors for the new attack submarines—a capability that will allow Australia to join the club of countries possessing such technologies. With 65 years of experience in designing and manufacturing nuclear reactors for the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet, Rolls-Royce is currently the only private company in the world capable of managing the entire nuclear cycle: design, construction, and decommissioning of reactors.
Broadly speaking, this ambitious multinational project—framed within a trilateral security alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—seeks to consolidate the industrial and knowledge bases that will enable the Royal Australian Navy to incorporate nuclear-powered submarines and gain access to advanced defense technologies. To achieve these goals, Rolls-Royce will contribute its unique expertise in advanced nuclear energy, providing training and education to a specialized workforce, strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas, and addressing critical skill gaps for current and future defense projects.
This step adds to recent milestones, such as the maintenance carried out in September 2024 on the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN-776) at HMAS Stirling Naval Base in Western Australia. The operation, framed under AUKUS Pillar I, represented the first time since World War II that a nuclear submarine received support in Australian waters, and the first instance of joint Australian and U.S. teams conducting inspection, maintenance, and nuclear emergency procedures.
On the other hand, AUKUS has taken concrete steps toward consolidating its operational infrastructure in Australia. One of the most visible advances is the start of construction at HMAS Stirling Naval Base in Western Australia, where specialized facilities are being prepared to host the Submarine Rotational Force-West, which will accommodate UK and U.S. nuclear submarines beginning in 2027.
Furthermore, the pact between Australia and the United Kingdom—formalized in 2024 through the signing of what is known as the Geelong Treaty—established cooperation for the continued design, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of SSN-AUKUS nuclear submarines. This treaty reinforces mutual commitments and provides a clear legal framework for supply chains, technology transfer, and the industrial development required for Australia to play a productive role, rather than merely a buyer, in this initiative.
Finally, on the industrial and production side, the United Kingdom announced it will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN-AUKUS) as part of its program scheduled to enter service in the late 2030s. Moreover, the initiative is not limited to crewed submarines: Australia is investing approximately AU$1.7 billion in “Ghost Shark” autonomous underwater drones for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and even offensive capabilities, which are expected to begin deployment in early 2026.
