Defending Australia: AUKUS subs to be armed with hypersonic missiles

Australia’s AUKUS-class nuclear subs will be capable of firing next-gen hypersonic missiles, providing a potent strike capability that will be near-impossible to defeat.

Australian Submarine Agency director-general Jonathan Mead addresses the Defending Australia summit at the Australian War Memorial. Picture: Martin Ollman

Australia’s AUKUS-class nuclear submarines will be capable of firing next-generation hypersonic missiles, giving the nation a potent strike capability near-impossible for adversaries to defeat.

Australian Submarine Agency director-general Jonathan Mead said the AUKUS boats would have “more firepower” than the US’s current Virginia-class boats, as well as space for underwater drones and special forces.

“It will be able to fire more long-range missiles or hypersonic missiles,” he told The Australian’s Defending Australia summit.

“It’ll be able to fire more long-range torpedoes. It will be able to carry a larger reactor for more power. It will be able to carry uncrewed autonomous vehicles.

“It will be able to accommodate special forces components.”

The Australian revealed this week that the AUKUS boats, at more than 10,000 tonnes, would be larger than Virginia-class submarines that displace just over 7000 tonnes. Australia’s six conventionally powered Collins-class submarines are about 3300 tonnes. Asked how many missiles the AUKUS subs would carry, Vice-Admiral Mead said “many”.

Advanced hypersonic weapons will be developed under AUKUS’s “Pillar Two” technology partnership.

China and Russia have so far led the race to develop hypersonic missiles but the US is pouring money into their development in a bid to catch up.

Vice-Admiral Mead also revealed a push to get Australian investors to plough money into US submarine production.

“We want Australian companies to invest in the US production yards,” he said. The move, which follows an injection of $4.6bn by Australian taxpayers, is aimed at boosting US submarine production to ensure the country can deliver a promised three Virginia-class boats to Australia.

Vice-Admiral Mead said his biggest concern over the AUKUS program was finding and training the people to deliver it.

“Workforce has always been identified as the No. 1 issue. That is the one that we really need to focus on,” he said.

He said 100 workers from commonwealth submarine builder ASC would complete training in US shipyards this year, followed by 100 a year for three years.

“When the submarines come to Western Australia in 2027, we will have a workforce of over 400 people that will be skilled and competent on Virginias,” he said.

Former defence minister Kim Beazley at the Defending Australia summit at the Australian War Memorial. Picture: Martin Ollman

Former Labor defence minister Kim Beazley told the Defending Australia summit that the ASA ­director-general was “the most important man in this country’s defence at this moment”.

Earlier, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas warned that Anthony Albanese’s plan to slash immigration would undermine the AUKUS program.

He said the competition between federal Labor and the ­Coalition to dramatically slow the immigration rate overlooked the need for a massive influx of skilled workers to “backfill” positions ­vacated by Australians who were going to be needed to build nuclear submarines.

Labor unveiled deep cuts to immigration numbers in the recent federal budget, pledging to wind back the net overseas intake from 395,000 this financial year to 260,000 in 2024-25, and 235,000 in the following two years.

Peter Dutton has vowed to cut even harder, reducing net overseas migration to 160,000.

While workers from non-AUKUS countries would be unable to work on the submarine program for security reasons, Mr Malinauskas said skilled foreigners would be needed to fill shortfalls elsewhere across the wider economy.