The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has requested to buy submarine combat and weapon systems, technical support, US and UK embedded personnel, and associated training from the US, Australian Defence Magazine reports.
Specifically, the UK has requested to buy technical assistance to the design and development of AUKUS-specific vertical deployment tubes; common weapon launchers; multiple all-up-round canister support service modules; network input output units; servers and switches and custom electronics, which are specific components of the submarine warfare federated tactical system; simulation equipment; engineering demonstration models; testing and installation equipment; equipment components; information technology hardware; publications and technical documentation; software and source code; US industry support; facility support; personnel training; and embedded US and UK personnel located in both UK and US facilities to support submarine design.
Other support services included are US government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; test and trials support; studies and surveys; other related elements of engineering services for associated equipment and program support; and other related elements of logistics and program support that will all be added to a previously implemented case whose value was under the congressional notification threshold.
The original Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case had a cost of US $50 million (approx. A $71 million).
It included the following non-MDE items: non-recurring engineering support; design integration of US equipment; submarine combat and weapons systems support for design and production of next generation, future class of nuclear-powered attack submarines developed for the Royal Australian Navy and United Kingdom Royal Navy, and developed as part of the trilateral security partnership between Australia, UK, and the US (AUKUS); delivery of software and technical publications for combat and weapon systems, and UK liaison office administrative support to the purchaser’s security assistance foreign representative(s) at Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters.
The revised estimated total cost for the case is US $1 billion (approx. A $1.4 billion).
The principal contractors will be Huntington Ingalls Industries, located in Newport News, Virginia (VA); General Dynamics Electric Boat, located in Groton, Connecticut; General Dynamics Mission Systems, located in Fairfax, VA; Progeny Systems, located in Manassas, VA; Lockheed Martin, located in Bethesda, Maryland; and Systems Planning and Analysis, located in Alexandria, VA.
