Honeywell has won a contract to deliver the AUKUS Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) pilot program. BlueForge Alliance, on behalf of the US Navy’s AUKUS Acquisition and Integration Office, awarded the contract.
As a result, Honeywell will establish an improved security framework that will underpin a safer, more secure, reliable and effective technology transfer to activate Australian Industry that supports the conventionally armed, nuclear-powered Virginia–class submarine production, sustainment, and operational readiness.
The AUKUS enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States was announced in 2021 and is designed to support security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The partnership strengthens the combined industrial capacity of the three countries, with increased cooperation making trilateral supply chains more robust and resilient.
One of the priorities for the AUKUS partnership is to develop the nuclear stewardship required to grow Australia’s ability to secure the supply chain for the Virginia–Class Submarine programs. This will involve a network of suppliers and partners powered by a local workforce of more than 30,000 people in Australia and 100,000 in the United States. Following the contract award, Honeywell will support the AUKUS SIB pilot program team by establishing a secure network of suppliers and partners to support production and operation submarine fleet.
“AUKUS is an industry-building endeavour and the top Australian defence program of our time, and we are proud to be part of the team that is mobilizing these projects to bolster Australia’s defence capability,” said Honeywell’s Australian Head of Defense and Space Lee Davis. “With a heritage of supporting nuclear stewardship in the US industrial base for the conventionally armed, nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine program, combined with submarine component production in all three AUKUS regions, Honeywell is uniquely positioned to lead the formation of AUKUS Team SIB.”
Honeywell is working on the program with US-based partners that include Orbis Sibro, Argus Enterprises, and Massa Products Corporation, as well as Australian partner Senetas. Additional Australian companies are also expected to be selected during the pilot program. Together, this team will deliver the AUKUS SIB pilot program over the next two years.
