The U.S., U.K., and Australia are set to create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia's nuclear-powered submarine program with the United States and Britain will cost up to $368 billion between now and the mid-2050s, the country's biggest single defense project.
Under the deal, called AUKUS, the U.S. intends to sell Australia three U.S. Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines built by General Dynamics in the early 2030s, with an option for Australia to buy two more if needed.
The multi-stage project would culminate with British and Australian production and operation of a new submarine class – SSN-AUKUS – a "trilaterally developed" vessel based on Britain's next-generation design that would be built in Britain and Australia and include "cutting edge" U.S. technologies.
