As part of the AUKUS initiative with Australia and the US, the UK has given three UK businesses a 4 billion pound ($4.9 billion) contract to design and build an attack submarine powered by nuclear energy.
AUKUS established in 2021, the AUKUS is intended to be a strategic partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States to bolster their allied deterrence and defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.
The trilateral partnership, whichh builds on their decades-long security cooperation, has two pillars.
Pillar I revolves around the acquisition and development of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy;
Pillar II calls for collaboration on advanced capabilities that will involve technology and information sharing;
It is designed to equip Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
In total, Australia will end up with eight of the new nuclear submarines, called SSNAUKUS.
Those submarines will be based on a British design but have American technology or an American combat system.
The deal marks the first time the US has shared nuclear propulsion technology with an ally other than the UK.
