Australian industry will be assessed and qualified to UK Submarine Enterprise nuclear safety standards under an expanded Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program, enabling suppliers to compete for future maintenance activity on visiting Astute‑class submarines.
In preparation for Royal Navy force rotations at SRF West from 2027, H&B Defence — the joint venture between HII and Babcock — has commenced selecting the first Australian suppliers to undergo capability and uplift assessments across 20 service types.
This follows the successful Submarine Maintenance Period on HMS Anson at HMAS Stirling last month, an important early demonstration of Australia’s growing maintenance capability and a precursor to the more complex work that will take place in Western Australia moving forward.
Delivered on behalf of the Australian Submarine Agency, the expanded AUSSQ program strengthens Australia’s readiness to support SSN-AUKUS and Virginia‑class activity and deepens integration with both the US and UK industrial bases.
H&B Defence is working closely with subject‑matter experts from Babcock’s UK operations on this next phase to ensure alignment with UK nuclear‑powered submarine supply chain entry requirements.
Validation activities will also streamline compliance requirements across the US, UK and Australia, reducing duplication and establishing a single, consistent framework under the AUSSQ banner. This means clearer, faster and more reliable qualification pathways for Australian suppliers seeking to participate across both international AUKUS programs.
The UK expansion forms part of a $21 million extension to the AUSSQ program, including $14 million for new work packages in the US covering composites, glass-reinforced plastics (GRP), and furniture and joinery.
So far, H&B Defence has assessed more than 30 suppliers through AUSSQ, resulting in qualification of 13 Australian businesses to date. These suppliers are now responding to RFQs to supply priority components to HII’s Newport News Shipyard.
The increased AUSSQ scope also follows the recent announcement that Babcock will manufacture complex submarine assemblies at its Rosyth facility in Scotland for HII’s Virginia-class Block VI fast-attack submarines, further reinforcing the trilateral industrial partnership underpinning AUKUS.
Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP said: “AUKUS is one of the greatest industrial endeavours in our nation’s history – supporting advanced manufacturing, creating high-value jobs, and strengthening Australia’s security and the Albanese Government is committed to seeing Australian businesses at its forefront.”
“Expanding the AUSSQ Program to support the United Kingdom’s Astute-class submarines is another important step in strengthening the industrial partnerships at the heart of AUKUS.”
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said: “The AUSSQ program is already demonstrating the quality contribution that Australian companies can make to AUKUS supply chains, supporting export opportunities and Australian jobs.”
“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.”
Babcock Australasia Acting CEO Leah Grantham said: “The recent maintenance period on HMS Anson at HMAS Stirling shows how the skills and partnerships we are building now directly support the work that will ramp up at SRF‑West in coming years.”
“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.”
HII President Global Security and H&B Defence Board Chair Michael Lempke said: “AUSSQ is a practical demonstration of how AUKUS is being delivered by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States as a single, integrated enterprise. By aligning standards and qualifying Australian industry to operate seamlessly across Australian, UK and US submarine programs, we are sharing the industrial burden in a way that strengthens all three nations.”
“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.”
H&B Defence Managing Director Tim Brown said: “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.”
“This new tranche broadens the program’s technical scope and creates additional pathways for Australian suppliers to compete for long-term, high‑value work in one of the world’s most advanced defence supply chains.”