British multinational aerospace and defence company, Rolls-Royce Submarines, has committed to supporting South Australia’s leading role in Pillar 1 of the AUKUS trilateral security pact.

Rolls-Royce Submarines and the South Australian government signed a memorandum of understanding at DSEI UK on Wednesday 10 September, outlining a commitment to collaborate on workforce development, skills training, and critical technologies.

The commitment highlights the criticality of both entities to Pillar 1’s success with Rolls-Royce to provide the nuclear reactor plants that will power the South Australian-built SSN-AUKUS fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

Rolls-Royce has powered Britain’s Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarines for more than 60 years. In 2022, it launched a Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby in England in collaboration with the local university which has the capacity to take on up to 200 apprentices annually.

Rolls-Royce Submarines President, Steve Carlier, said the company was looking forward to sharing its deep expertise in workforce and skills development with South Australia.

“We are incredibly proud to play our part in the development of the next generation of attack submarines for the Royal Navy, and equally proud to be supporting Australia in their mission to introduce nuclear-powered submarines to their fleet,” Mr Carlier said.

“Nuclear (powered) submarines bring unsurpassed endurance, range, stealth, power and reliability that still provides the absolute pinnacle of military advantage.

“This MoU allows us to leverage our decades of experience to help South Australia develop a talented workforce and inspire the next generation of Australian nuclear engineers.”

Rolls-Royce is the only private company in the world with the nuclear capability to manage reactor design, manufacture and decommissioning within one single entity.

Under the agreement, Rolls-Royce and the South Australian Government are set to collaborate on the co-design and implementation of initiatives to build a highly skilled workforce in South Australia.

Construction of Australia’s SSN-AUKUS submarines will occur at expanded Osborne Naval Shipyard, with the first to be delivered by the early 2040s.

Read the media release