Australia to acquire three in-service Virginia-class submarines under streamlined AUKUS plan

Australia will acquire three in-service US Navy Virginia-class submarines under a streamlined AUKUS Pillar 1 plan, replacing the original mix of new and in-service boats, the three partner nations confirmed on 30 May.

The change was announced in a joint statement 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. 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," the statement said. It added 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 March 2023 AUKUS Pillar 1 plan had 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 early transfers expected to comprise a mix of existing US Navy boats and newly produced submarines. The shift to three in-service boats is intended to reduce complexity for the Royal Australian Navy as it establishes its sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability, while easing pressure on US shipyards that have struggled to meet the existing Virginia-class production rate.

The ministers also confirmed the finalisation of arrangements for establishing Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-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. The UK committed £6 billion in 2025 for SSN-AUKUS. 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.

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.