HII [HII] named Australia’s VEEM Ltd. as one of the first companies that will join a submarine supplier pilot program HII is leading to help connect Australian firms to the U.S. and U.K. submarine industrial bases.
The U.S. company noted VEEM has decades of experience in performing precision casting for the
Collins-class submarine, which HII said makes it “well positioned” to become part of the Virginia-class submarine supply chain under the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSS-Q) pilot program.
Earlier this month, Australia announced it awarded HII a $6 million contract to manage this new submarine supplier qualification pilot project, to help Australian companies qualify to enter the U.S. submarine industrial base supply chain to further the integration of defense industries and bolster Australia’s capabilities under the AUKUS agreement (Defense Daily, March 11).
Tim Brow, vice president of operations for HII Nuclear Australia Pty Ltd., said AUSS-Q is designed to “qualify and elevate suppliers to contribute to the U.S. Virginia-class submarine program. Companies like VEEM have already demonstrated their expertise, and this initiative will help integrate their capabilities into the broader supply chain.”
VEEM’s company website says it designs and manufactures “disruptive, high technology marine propulsion and stabilization systems” for maritime industries. It is headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, was founded in 1968, employs about 180 people and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2016.
HII emphasized this is all part of creating a seamless defense supply network among the three AUKUS partners, with USS-Q “unlocking new opportunities for Australian industry, creating high-skilled jobs, and strengthening the foundation for future AUKUS submarine production.”
In a recent HII visit to VEEM, Australian deputy prime minister and defense minister Richard Marles discussed the AUUS-Q’s selection of VEEM.
“HII is America’s largest naval ship builder and what it is doing through this program is qualifying Australian companies to participate in the supply chain of building U.S. Virginia-class submarines. And this really speaks to one of the great opportunities of AUKUS, because at its heart what AUKUS is seeking to do is to establish a seamless defense industrial base across the three countries,” Marles said in a statement,
During a media event at VEEM, Marles added, “this is a tangible step forward in the story of AUKUS. This builds our national military capability, but in the process we are building a national defense industry capability and providing high skilled, high paid jobs.”