But reaching this deal was not an easy task. Australia had made a $ 90 billion agreement to buy a submarine from France. But last year Australia broke the agreement. This agreement was broken in the greed of nuclear submarines. France got angry on this, but Australia agreed to pay compensation of $ 585 million. AUKUS was announced in September 2021. Australia has the Collins class diesel-electric submarines which will be out of service by 2038. Whereas nuclear powered submarines will come by 2040. That is, the absence of a nuclear submarine in Australia would have affected its capability.
What is AUKUS deal
The AUKUS deal is a security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK. Under this, the three countries will also share intelligence among themselves. Along with this, Australia will also get a nuclear submarine, which will strengthen Australia’s navy in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The US will receive three existing Virginia class submarines in the early 2030s at a cost of $50 billion. Australia will have the option to buy two more submarines for $58 billion. Australia will invest $3 billion in the US and UK to increase the industrial capacity of submarine building.
Apart from this, Australia and Britain will make a new type of submarine. Its name will be SSN-AUKUS, which will be included in the Navy of both the countries. It will be a submarine with British design and US technology. It will have nuclear reactor, weapon system and vertical launch system. Britain will include this submarine in its navy by the end of 2030s. While Australia will start building submarines in Adelaide during this period. Australia has plans to build five such submarines by 2055. With three more US submarines, it will have a total fleet of 8 nuclear submarines.
China Spy Balloon: ‘spy balloon’ seen again in the sky of America, fighter jet shot down
what will the submarine be like
SSN-AUKUS will have a lifetime of 30 years. According to estimates, it will be heavier than Britain’s Astute and America’s Virginia class submarine. It will have a crew of 100. Talking about the need of a nuclear submarine, it can move silently in the water. It can remain under water for several weeks without coming to the surface. That is, the enemy country will not be able to know where Australia’s submarine is. Australia’s Collins class submarine does not have such a capability. By 2055, the acquisition, construction and maintenance of submarines under this deal will cost $ 268 billion to $ 368 billion.
