Australia has selected Leidos Australia’s Gibbs & Cox to lead the preliminary design of a contingency floating dry dock for future Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. The infrastructure will be developed in Western Australia as part of preparations for the arrival of the submarines under the AUKUS partnership with the United States and United Kingdom. The dry dock will provide emergency and short-notice repair and maintenance support before the submarines undergo planned depot-level servicing later in their service lives. The facility could eventually support submarines from other AUKUS partners while complying with Australian regulatory and nuclear safety requirements. The project forms part of broader investments at HMAS Stirling and the Henderson Defence Precinct aimed at expanding Australia’s sovereign submarine sustainment and shipbuilding capabilities. Separately, Australian steel producer Bisalloy has received its first order from General Dynamics Electric Boat to supply HY80 submarine-grade steel for US Navy Virginia-class submarines, marking the first use of Australian-produced steel in the program.
