Australia launches planning for multi-billion dollar AUKUS dry dock, expanded naval base
The dry dock will be a centerpiece of the massive consolidation and expansion of shipyards and HMAS Stirling, potentially worth $20 billion.
The dry dock will be a centerpiece of the massive consolidation and expansion of shipyards and HMAS Stirling, potentially worth $20 billion.
"We're a long way down that path and really, that's the thing that we need to [figure out] first," Richard Marles, Australia's deputy prime minister and defense minister, told Breaking Defense.
In an interview with Breaking Defense, Andrew Hastie discussed keeping AUKUS a three-party arrangement, the housing issue it could create and the need for a new joint defense committee.
"We’re already making good progress on the design and development of the next generation submarine in the UK, where we have more than 1,000 people working on the SSN-AUKUS program and major infrastructure investment underway," BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn said.
One analyst called the new agreement the biggest engineering project in 75 years for Australia, but there are big hurdles that need to be cleared.