In a notification of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) published by the U.S. State Department, it was revealed that the United Kingdom has requested U.S. aid in generating a common “vertical deployment tube” and other associated weapons systems to be shared across the SSN-AUKUS submarine program.
In addition to the development of AUKUS specific, submarine based, vertical deployment tubes (which can be assumed to be a Vertical Launch Cell (VLS) type of missile deployment system), the U.S. supported Royal Navy will formulate additional components for additional munitions related systems. Additional major components are stated as, “common weapon launchers and multiple all-up-round canister support service modules,” within the State Department’s listing, likely constituting the development of a major portion of the submarine’s weapons systems.
The FMS notice was initially listed as a $50 million dollar sale, but the growth in cost has skyrocketed, with the total value ballooning to over a $1 billion dollars, likely growing to encompass the development numerous subsystems along with the launching mechanisms themselves. To assist development efforts the State Department says the U.S is to provide embedded U.S. industry personnel in the U.K. along with general industry support from U.S. defense contractors, which includes “engineering, technical, and logistics support services”.
The common VLS and weapons launching systems are intended for the next generation of nuclear attack submarines (SSNs) destined for service with the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, likely making their debut on the SSN-AUKUS class of submarines currently under joint Australian and British development.
AUKUS
AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with the primary goals of both allowing Australia to acquire Nuclear submarines and their associated technology, and the further integration of defense infrastructure between the three nations.
The partnership was initially formulated following the Australian cancellation of the Attack-class submarines, which were to be based off the French Suffren-class submarines partially built under license in Australia, with conventional instead of Nuclear propulsion. The first of Attack-class submarines was to be delivered in the early 2030s, but the program was scrapped in 2021 under Australian concerns over a changing threat portfolio in the Indo-pacific, citing the need for nuclear powered submarines which offer increased range, endurance, and size.
Under the current AUKUS regime, 3 Virginia-class attack submarines will be sold from the United States to be inducted into Australian service sometime in the 2030s, with the option for acquisition of 2 more. The Virginias will serve as a stop-gap prior to the introduction of the future SSN-AUKUS, based on the already established future submarine program (SSNR) in the U.K. Projections stipulate that first of the SSN-AUKUS class submarines will reach RAN service by the early 2040s.
In the present, Australia’s rapidly aging Collins-class SSKs are undergoing life extensions to keep the Royal Australian Navy’s submarine force afloat before the Virginias are inducted. These boats will see a ~34 year service life prior to retirement in the 2030s, prolonged by the cancellation of the Attack-class, and delays associated with introducing SSNs into Royal Australian Navy service.
