AUKUS is a security partnership between three countries: Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States, building on their longstanding ties within security and defense cooperation. With the ultimate goal of promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific, AUKUS was initially announced in 2021, followed by an 18-month consultation period. This is the first article in a series of three Moog blog posts focusing on AUKUS’ impact on the submarine industry. Future posts will explore AUKUS’ impact in Australia and the United Kingdom, where Moog has production facilities.
A former U.S. Navy Captain and now Business Development Manager at Moog Defense, Timothy Salter helps us to dissect opportunities for the defense industry brought by AUKUS, in particular what the partnership might entail for Moog Inc., with a long heritage in naval systems technology.
“AUKUS has two main pillars, also called initiatives. The first pillar commits to support Australia’s indigenous production capability for nuclear-powered submarines (not nuclear-armed), and the second pillar focuses on enhancing a number of advanced capabilities such as undersea capabilities, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, hypersonics, and cyber capabilities” explains Salter.
Having served tours on four fast-attack submarines, ultimately serving as Commanding Officer of the USS Virginia, Tim Salter appreciates the phased approach that AUKUS takes to accomplish the first pillar.
“It is a process to provide Australia with sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capabilities. Beginning with port-visits of U.S.-flagged Virginia-class submarines and embedding of Australian military and civilian personnel with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. will eventually forward-deploy naval forces in Australia and later forward-base them”, says Salter. In other words, U.S. Navy SSNs will be physically located in Australian ports for an enduring presence.
Salter continues, “Australian sailors and officers will get involved in how to steward and operate nuclear-powered submarines and be submerged with U.S. teams. Eventually, when Australia demonstrates capability, the U.S. plans to sell three, and potentially up to five Virginia-class submarines to Australia, which has never been done before”. A Virginia Class submarine typically has 135 crewmembers and displaces around 8,000 tons. Moog provides a significant portion of actuators to the boat.
A detailed pathway for AUKUS’ first phase was released in 2023, outlining the intention of the US to sell three to five submarines to Australia in the early 2030s. In a longer timeframe, Australia will have the capability to produce some of, and eventually the entire submarine itself.
Finally, by combining advanced technology from all countries, with a collaborated submarine design, “a jointly-designed submarine will be delivered as the future fast-attack submarine for Australia and the UK, built domestically in these countries starting at the end of this decade (with significant content from all three countries)”.
Image Credit: Dr. Ernest Gunasekara-Rockwell
What is the background to the AUKUS partnership?
“There is strategic competition occurring with China, and we have seen increasing instability in the Indo-Pacific region that is of concern to the U.S., UK, and Australia. Undersea remains an unmatched capability that the U.S. enjoys. It makes sense from a strategic perspective to have strongly aligned partners with fast-attack submarines,” says Salter.
The U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) focuses on China as a “pacing challenge” and the most consequential strategic competitor, noting the country’s coercive and aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. “Through submarine capability cooperation, we are better equipped to deter aggression and contribute to stability in the region”, notes the former Navy Captain.
The process leading up to the most recent AUKUS announcement was thorough, with a dozen different areas that had to be discussed: finance, treaties, technology, and the entire Department of Defense. Other U.S. government departments and agencies such as the Department of State, Department of Energy, and Cabinet officials had to be involved.
What is the impact from AUKUS on industry and how can Moog Naval Systems contribute with products/technology/capability?
According to Salter, “the AUKUS deal is a major opportunity for Moog to continue to provide the solutions we already do with submarine designs and features as well as future opportunities similar to other projects we have worked on as a company. The first opportunity for Moog falls under our Total Support Defense Sustainment Services. We currently provide products and sustainment services to the VA class submarines within the U.S. With AUKUS we are provided an opportunity to leverage our existing footprint in Australia and the UK to be a part of the forward deployed sustainment challenge of keeping the VA class long term ready operating out of Australia.”
The next step in the AUKUS deal that presents an opportunity to Moog is continuing to leverage our footprint in Australia and partnership with the Australian government to remain on these submarines, states Salter. “With the development of SSN-AUKUS happening simultaneously with the development of SSN-X, we have a great opportunity to showcase that we produce reliable and quiet actuators and motion control products, along with our current success stories.”
The final opportunity of the AUKUS deal, according to Salter, comes as a bigger opportunity for Moog with this phase of the deal have a more broad, less submarine focus, approach.
Image Credit: BAE Systems
What future opportunities does this provide Moog with?
“Moog has a big opportunity with SSN-X and SSN-AUKUS to leverage what we do and push the U.S., UK, and Australia into features that have been deemed as ‘risky’. We must consider, is this the right time to leverage electro-hydrostatic, to get the Navy to get off a centralized hydraulic system, especially for applications like control surfaces” mentions Salter. Concluding, Salter finds inspiration in Moog’s aircraft business: “We also have the opportunity to leverage what we’ve done on military and commercial aircraft, like stick to tail controls, and provide the same types of systems for submarines”.
Interested in speaking with Moog? Contact us at defense@moog.com
Tim Salter
- Business Development Manager - Moog Defense
- Hobbies: Master’s swimming, cycling, skiing, home improvement, and fishing. Tim was an Eagle Scout from East Aurora and is serving as Assistant Scoutmaster.