Australia, Britain to strike treaty for joint production of submarines

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles speaks during a press conference at the AUKUS Defence Ministers Meeting at Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and Britain said they would strike a bilateral treaty to produce a new class of nuclear-powered submarine, under the AUKUS partnership which also includes the United States.

Australia will buy U.S. Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines from the United States in the next decade, with Britain and Australia later building a new class of AUKUS submarine at Barrow-in-Furness in Britain, and in South Australia, under the AUKUS pact announced in 2023.