SINGAPORE: A newly announced AUKUS project to develop advanced unmanned undersea vehicles marks a major step forward for the trilateral security pact, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday (May 31).
Describing it as a significant milestone in defence cooperation among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, Marles said the initiative demonstrates that AUKUS is moving beyond planning and into delivering tangible military capabilities.
“This is the first time we’ve committed to a signature project between our three countries, which is backed up by real money with a timeline,” he told CNA on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Under the programme announced on Saturday, the three countries will jointly develop advanced payloads for unmanned undersea vehicles, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027.
The capability will enhance reconnaissance, strike operations, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and electronic warfare, while improving operations in contested maritime environments, said a joint AUKUS statement.
The project falls under AUKUS’s so-called “Pillar Two”, which focuses on advanced defence technologies including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyber capabilities, hypersonics and undersea systems.
PROTECTING UNDERSEA INFRASTRUCTURE
The announcement came as 17 countries, including Australia, launched a new framework at the Shangri-La Dialogue to strengthen cooperation in protecting critical underwater infrastructure such as telecommunications cables and energy pipelines.
