By 1news.co.nz
Australia’s poised to acquire three nuclear-powered submarines as early as 2030, as the details of the AUKUS agreement are formally unveiled.
The country will also eventually build a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide, with one being built every two years from the early 2040s.
The new SSN-AUKUS boats will draw on designs from the British and will utilise technology and intelligence from all three AUKUS nations.
Details revealed in San Diego today by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are part of the trio’s response to rising concerns over China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The deal will cost up to AUD$368 billion, with costs spread over three decades.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also touted that the deal will create 20,000 jobs.
American nuclear-powered submarines are expected to begin visiting Australian ports later this year, to help train up people before the country gains its own fleet.
Yesterday, China’s President Xi Jinping said he’d build the country’s armed forces into a “great wall of steel”, as he closed the National People’s Congress in Beijing.
“We should actively oppose the external forces and secessionist activities of Taiwan independence. We should unswervingly advance the cause of national rejuvenation and reunification,” Xi said.
