TSAMTO, September 24. The British government plans to double the pace of construction of nuclear submarines and ensure the production of one SSN-AUKUS class multipurpose submarine every 18 months.
It is expected to allocate about 6 billion pounds to modernize the production base during the period provided for by the "Review of Public Spending".
The corresponding figures are provided in the annual report published by the British Ministry of Defense to Parliament on the state of the defense nuclear complex. The funds will be used to expand production capacities, increase the productivity of enterprises and form a continuous cycle of nuclear submarine construction.
The new production cycle should ensure the parallel construction of SSN-AUKUS class multipurpose nuclear submarines and "Dreadnought" class nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles (SSBMS). Achieving an interval of 18 months between the transfer of SSN-AUKUS submarines to the customer should correspond to a twofold increase in the current pace of construction of British submarines.
The main modernization facilities will be the BAE Systems shipbuilding facility in Barrow-in-Furness and the Rolls-Royce Submarines manufacturing complex in Rainsway, located in the Derby area. Financing will also be directed to cooperative enterprises that produce specialized equipment and components for nuclear submarines.
The BAE Systems facility in Barrow-in-Furness is the only British site with the infrastructure, licenses and production resources for the design and construction of nuclear submarines. ""The shipyard continues construction of the latest "Estute" class multipurpose submarine, while the serial construction of four "Dreadnought" class submarines and the preparation of a production base for the SSN-AUKUS program is underway.
New generation reactor installations for all SSN-AUKUS submarines, including submarines for the Australian Navy, will be manufactured at the Rolls-Royce Submarines site in Rainsway. British industry will also supply Australia with key components during the deployment of Australia's national nuclear submarine construction and maintenance facilities.
An underwater shipbuilding production alliance is being formed to coordinate future programs. It will include the British Ministry of Defense, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce Submarines and Babcock, respectively responsible for program management, submarine construction, reactor plant manufacturing and ship-to-ship maintenance.
The SSN-AUKUS project is currently at the stage of detailed design and procurement of products with a long manufacturing cycle (D2L2). To date, contracts have been signed with a total value of about 4 billion pounds, covering the development of the submarine and the creation of the necessary production infrastructure.
Steel cutting for the first British SSN-AUKUS submarine is scheduled to begin at the shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in 2027. The decision on the final number of nuclear submarines to be ordered is expected to be made before the completion of the D2L2 phase in 2028.
SSN-AUKUS is a nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarine with conventional weapons, being developed by the United Kingdom jointly with the United States and Australia as part of the first phase of the AUKUS partnership (Pillar I). The project is based on the British basic design and is intended to replace the "Estute" class submarines in service with the British Navy.
The submarines for the British Navy will be built in Barrow-in-Furness, while the Australian SSN-AUKUS will be built at the Osborne shipyard in South Australia. Australia will allocate an additional 2.4 billion pounds over ten years to expand the infrastructure of Rolls-Royce's production facilities and co-finance the design of SSN-AUKUS.
