Advanced underwater tech to be developed for AUKUS forces

Image courtesy MoD

The joint development of transformational tech is the first signature project to be announced under Pillar 2 of the partnership, with the first capabilities expected in service next year.

Under AUKUS, Pillar 1 focuses on Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, while Pillar 2 pools the talents of each nations’ defence sector to develop advanced military capabilities to support security around the world.

Announced by Defence Secretary John Healey MP alongside US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in Singapore, the new project will see AUKUS partners ‘step on the accelerator’ for Pillar 2 of the programme to develop, produce and deploy cutting-edge technologies carried by uncrewed underwater vessels (UUV). The work shows how AUKUS partners are collaborating to rapidly develop groundbreaking maritime capabilities to boost warfighting readiness.

This work will support the development of payloads, such as sensors and weapons systems, that can be deployed across all three nations’ UUV fleets, increasing collective strength and deterrence across the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic. This project will provide opportunities for UK industry in furthering work on underwater capabilities, supporting good jobs and growth across the nation.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: "AUKUS is delivering for our security and for our economy. Together we are announcing ground-breaking underwater capabilities that will keep Britain safe, backing British businesses that are driving growth, and standing shoulder to shoulder with our closest allies. This is what modern defence looks like. We’re stepping on the accelerator to develop cutting-edge tech to boost our collective deterrence and support our shared security."

The first capabilities are expected to be in service by 2027 and will help drive the Royal Navy’s transition to a Hybrid Navy – a more flexible, modern force that blends crewed and uncrewed platforms. The payloads will allow the Royal Navy to detect underwater threats to the UK and allies’ critical undersea infrastructure. The Royal Navy will be able to integrate payloads from the US and Australia, meaning a more effective and lethal force. The tech will be used to reinforce the future SSN-AUKUS attack submarine fleet.

Defence Secretary John Healey also announced the winners of the 2025 AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge. The challenge is the second iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2’s Innovation Challenge Series and sought companies innovating which enable the command, control and teaming of undersea systems. Three of the four winning suppliers are UK based:

• Decision Analysis Services Ltd., an SME based in Basingstoke
• SEA Ltd., a large enterprise based in Frome
• A-2i, a micro-consultancy based in Dorchester, Dorset
• MSI Transducers, a large enterprise based near Boston, USA

The winners show the breadth and diversity of innovation across AUKUS innovation: three UK and one US company, one SME, two large suppliers and one micro-consultancy. Each company will receive a share of £3 million in funding to develop and test their capabilities.

This investment in three British companies demonstrates how defence is driving economic growth across the UK, creating skilled jobs and opportunities for companies of all sizes. The UK Government is committed to backing SMEs and scalable business.

The AUKUS Defence Ministers also announced progress in establishing Submarine Rotational Force-West, which will see a rotational presence of UK and US nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling in Australia. The first rotation of a nuclear-powered US submarine to HMAS Stirling is expected in 2027, to be followed by a UK Astute Class submarine. This follows the first successful submarine maintenance period (SMP) conducted on a UK Astute class submarine at HMAS Stirling earlier this year.

The announcements are the latest in a series of significant milestones delivered under AUKUS, building on the Geelong Treaty signed in July 2025, which established the framework for the deepest level of bilateral UK-Australian defence cooperation in generations. The AUKUS partnership is backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027.