Nuclear-powered attack submarines’ designs for AUKUS to be shaped by US firm with new contract

The U.S. Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division a contract worth approximately $56 million to support submarine engineering and design activities under the trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security partnership. The agreement includes an option that could increase its total value to approximately $91 million, further expanding American industrial involvement in the programme.

The contract covers engineering, technical assistance, technology integration, supply-chain development, workforce training and digital transformation initiatives. It also includes support for the design of the future SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered attack submarine, which is intended to be built by the United Kingdom and Australia.

Longstanding nuclear experience benefits the AUKUS mission

“Our longstanding nuclear experience at NNS directly benefits the AUKUS mission to support shared security objectives,” said Bryan Caccavale, NNS vice president of program management. “We are honored to leverage that experience and contribute even more to the AUKUS partnership.”

Under the agreement, Newport News Shipbuilding will continue providing technical and industrial support to both AUKUS partners through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales framework. A key element of the contract is the United States Industry Support initiative, under which American engineers and designers will contribute their expertise to the development of the SSN-AUKUS submarine.

The work is intended to help transfer specialized nuclear-submarine design knowledge, improve technical coordination and strengthen the industrial capabilities required to build and sustain advanced submarines over their operational lifetimes.

Nuclear-powered submarine construction

HII’s experience in nuclear-powered submarine construction is expected to play an important role in this effort. Newport News Shipbuilding is one of only two shipyards in the United States that build nuclear-powered submarines, giving the company substantial expertise in complex submarine design, construction and maintenance.

According to HII, the contract reflects the company’s continued commitment to supporting AUKUS and advancing shared security objectives among the three participating countries.

The contract award is the latest in a range of initiatives HII is actively engaged in to advance the AUKUS partnership. HII’s Mission Technologies division in Australia was awarded the contract to deliver the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program, which accelerates the identification, development and qualification of Australian suppliers for integration into the United States submarine industrial base, according to a press release.

HII is also working with Australian industry and academia in Australia to develop the skilled workforce needed to support Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise. This includes educating and training thousands of engineers, maritime specialists, nuclear tradespeople and other professionals to support the enterprise across its full lifecycle, as per the release.

The $56 million contract signals another step in the development of the industrial and technical framework underpinning AUKUS. By involving Newport News Shipbuilding in SSN-AUKUS design activities and supporting wider engineering and workforce initiatives, the agreement strengthens the connection between American submarine expertise and the future capabilities of Australia and the United Kingdom.