H&B Defence’s Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program has been named winner of AUKUS Partnership Award at the Australian Defence Industry Awards. The announcement was made at the awards ceremony held in Canberra on Thursday, 16 July.
This award recognises the program or project that has most effectively advanced Australia’s defence and national security capabilities through contribution to AUKUS Pillar I and/or AUKUS Pillar II.
AUSSQ is a cornerstone initiative delivering immediate, measurable advancement of Australia’s sovereign nuclear‑powered submarine capability under AUKUS Pillar I, at a critical point in the nation’s transition to nuclear‑powered submarines.
AUSSQ provides a pathway for Australia’s industrial base to be qualified to operate within the United States and United Kingdom’s nuclear submarine supply chains.
AUSSQ is qualifying Australian small and medium enterprises across seven critical work packages essential to the construction and sustainment of Virginia‑class submarines in the United States and the future SSN‑AUKUS platform. Suppliers qualified through AUSSQ become immediately eligible to supply into US and UK nuclear submarine programs, embedding Australian industry directly into AUKUS submarine production and sustainment lines for the first time. The success of AUSSQ has been driven by strong, hands‑on program leadership and the unique capability of H&B. Established in 2024 as a joint venture between HII and Babcock, H&B combines authoritative, end‑to‑end experience across the entire nuclear submarine lifecycle. This reach back to live nuclear-power submarine enterprises enabled the program to transfer allied industrial standards into the Australian context at pace and with credibility, while maintaining the rigour required by US/UK authorities.