GOVERNMENT NEWS
The AUKUS defence alliance to cooperate on Hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare applications. US, UK and Australia will cooperate closely to develop hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities. Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in a grouping known as AUKUS, have agreed to cooperate on hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities, the leaders of the three countries have said. The development follows the creation of the AUKUS defence alliance between the three nations in September last year, which prompted Australia to cancel a contract for a conventional French submarine in favour of a nuclear submarine programme supported by the US and UK, damaging relations with French President Emmanuel Macron. In a joint statement in early April, the AUKUS leaders – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and Australian PM Scott Morrison – said they were pleased with the progress of the programme for conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, and the allies would co-operate in other areas too. The Australian Department of Defence had reviewed 19 potential sites and estimated a $10 billion cost for the base at one of the preferred east coast sites to add to an existing base near Perth. Steps had already been taken to ensure Australia had the workforce to the necessary training and qualifications to manufacture, operate and service the nuclear submarines, according to source from each of the three countries. The federal government is also taking initial steps to secure additional land to build a construction yard
for the nuclear submarines, including land adjacent to the existing Osborne North Shipyard in Adelaide. The leaders said they were “committed to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defence innovation,” they said. “These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities. As our work progresses on these and other critical defense and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners.” While the US and Australia already have strategic agreements with a hypersonic weapons program call SCIFiRE, the UK isn’t involved in that program at this point. Hypersonic missiles travel at five times the speed of sound, flying on a trajectory low in the atmosphere, as opposed to a ballistic missile which flies in a high arc into space on its way to the target, making it easier to track and defend against. The three countries are continuing to work together on R&D in this area to increase their options. The US, UK and Australia launched their landmark security pact last September. The pact was proclaimed at the time as allowing the three allies to share advanced technologies. Source: News Agencies
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