Wow.

Australia to get no new, only old, Virginia-class submarines under Aukus

Australia will no longer receive any new Virginia-class submarines from the US, with all three of the Aukus vessels to be second hand.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, welcomed the new proposal

alongside his US and UK counterparts yesterday.

Australia had been expecting to receive a mix of old and new Virginia-class submarines for its own use in the early 2030s as it prepares to adopt nuclear-powered submarines.

Marles announced the plan had changed in a joint statement on Saturday. It read:

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries welcomed the proposed approach to streamline Australia’s acquisition of Virginia-class submarines (VCS), simplifying supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximising cost efficiencies.

This approach would enable Australia to acquire three in-service VCS in lieu of a mixture of new and in-service VCS variants.

US shipyards have been under pressure as they struggle to boost manufacturing to their goal of building an average of 2.3 new submarines a year by 2032.

tallowood wrote on May 31^st, 2026 at 11:41am:


That's a good question.

For sure, the lifespan of these subs will be somewhat shorter than most people were imagining.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/australia-now-to-get-in-service-virginia-class-s...

May 30, 2026


The AUKUS partners have streamlined Australia’s planned acquisition of US-built Virginia-class submarines under Pillar 1, with the country now set to receive three in-service boats rather than a mixture of new and in-service variants, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The change was confirmed in a joint statement issued by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and UK Defence Secretary John Healey following a meeting at the US Embassy in Singapore on 30 May.

The statement said the ministers “welcomed the proposed approach to streamline Australia’s acquisition of Virginia-class submarines, simplifying supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximising cost efficiencies,” adding that “this approach would enable Australia to acquire three in-service VCS in lieu of a mixture of new and in-service VCS variants.”

whiteknight wrote on May 31^st, 2026 at 6:18pm:



The RBA will print the money and we'll pay for it with inflation.

tallowood wrote on May 31^st, 2026 at 11:41am:


Wrong. The nuclear fuel in the reactor is replaced every 25-30 years. The submarine itself can be used for longer than this.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jun 1^st, 2026 at 9:12am:


You don't know what you talking about as usual.
Australia’s planned nuclear-powered submarines feature intended lifespans of roughly 33 years for newly built vessels.

Vic wrote on Jun 1^st, 2026 at 11:55am:


Very good explanation about "Submarine Structural Hull Fatigue" and here is more info about boats we are getting - class Virginia Block IV.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia-class_submarine

making any 'deal' with trump is foolish