Australia will purchase up to five US nuclear-powered submarines in the coming years to replace its aging diesel-powered submarine fleet, then collaborate with Britain and the United States on building a new nuclear submarine, a US official said Monday.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that three conventionally armed, nuclear-powered Virginia class vessels would be sold "over the course of the 2030s," with the "possibility of going up to five if that is needed."
The new model, also nuclear-powered and carrying conventional weapons, is a longer-term project and will be dubbed the SSN-AUKUS, he said.