South Australian Firms Pursue Nuclear Submarines

In pursuit of nuclear submarine technology, South Australian Premier Peter Bryden Malinauskas has signed an agreement with five South Australian companies to help them enter the global supply chain for nuclear-powered submarines.

Malinauskas, leader of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), signed the agreement with United States’ shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and its Australian arm, HII Nuclear Australia Pty Ltd. (HII-NA). The goal of the agreement is to drive the nation’s defense industry workforce, skills, and supply chain in the development of nuclear submarines.

The five local companies involved in the Supplier Capability Uplift Program (SCUP) are Century Engineering, H-E Parts International, Levett Engineering, MacTaggart Scott Australia, and McKechnie Iron Foundry. The Malinauskas government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HII Nuclear Australia Pty Ltd. in November 2023, and this program is the first activity under that agreement. 

The five companies must undergo a Supplier Technical Assessment and Validation (STAV) review by HII-NA to identify opportunities for work on Virginia-class submarines (see image above) and other U.S. ship-building assignments. Following the STAV review, HII-NA will provide a comprehensive report that will include recommendations for capability development and improvement activities.

HII spends about $1 billion/year with more than 2,000 suppliers in the U.S., with one-half the amount going to small businesses. The five participating businesses will be able to apply for matched grant funding through the Australian Department of State Development in response to any recommendations from the STAV report.