South Australian company PMB Defence will play a key role in the AUKUS submarine program, following a new contract enabling its advanced battery systems to be integrated into the design of future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
The Federal Government announced the agreement, which sees PMB partner with BAE Systems in the UK to develop and potentially supply nickel zinc battery systems for the next-generation AUKUS submarines, as well as other Royal Navy vessels.
The contracts, worth more than $34 million, have already seen PMB expand its workforce by 20 in South Australia, with further hiring expected as production ramps up. The agreement builds on more than 450 jobs already created at BAE and ASC under the AUKUS program.
PMB is a world leader in submarine battery systems and currently supplies the main batteries for Australia’s Collins-class submarines. If the AUKUS design phase is successful, the new batteries will be manufactured at PMB’s Adelaide facility, reinforcing sovereign industrial capability.
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the partnership underscored Australia’s world-class innovation in defence technology. “The Albanese Government will always back Australian innovation, and this strategic contract reinforces the fact that Aussies are world leaders when it comes to defence technology,” he said.
“Australian industry is our greatest strategic asset,” he added. “The contract for the AUKUS design, which comes on the back of work PMB has secured for other Royal Navy submarines, will create dozens of new well-paid, high-skilled jobs for locals, on top of the hundreds at BAE and ASC that AUKUS has already delivered.”
AUKUS is expected to generate around 20,000 direct jobs across Australia over the next three decades, with the Albanese Government aiming to ensure local industry fully benefits from the multi-billion-dollar investment.
