Announced in 2021, AUKUS is Australia's largest-ever defence investment and will see U.S.-commanded Virginia-class submarines based in Australia from 2027, several Virginia submarines sold to Australia from around 2030, and Britain and Australia building a new class of AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the A$3.9 billion as a down payment to deliver the new shipyard in Osborne, a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia state. "Investing in the submarine construction yard at Osborne is critical to delivering Australia's conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines," Albanese said in a statement. Osborne is where Australia's ASC and Britain's BAE Systems will jointly build Australia's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, the core component of the AUKUS pact. Until that work begins later this decade, the shipyard is where much of the maintenance is performed on the country's existing Collins-class submarine fleet.
