The Australian Department of Defence has announced that the Naval Group has received applications from 100 Australian companies for the manufacture of equipment for the Attack Class Submarine Program.

The applications were received for the production of 23 specialised articles of submarine equipment.

Last month, the Government of Australia and the Naval Group sought expressions of interest (EoI) from the Australian industry for the construction of major parts of equipment for the Future Submarine Programme.

The work for the new Attack-class submarines is expected to help create jobs and new opportunities in the Australian industry.

Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said: “These Australian companies will compete for work that has been assessed by Naval Group as being worth up to A$900m.

“They have formally lodged interest to become part of the Attack Class Submarine Program as tier one suppliers for equipment, ranging from the submarine’s main shaft line to the weapons handling system.

“Already, almost 2,000 Australian businesses have registered their interest in broader supply chain opportunities through the Industry Capability Network portal.

In March this year, PMB Defence and Systems Sunlight were awarded subcontracts to design the main storage batteries for the Attack-class submarines.

The Attack-class submarines will replace the Collins-class submarines.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price added: “We are securing opportunities for Australian companies to manufacture equipment designed by Naval Group, which is generally manufactured overseas.

“As design of the Attack-class submarine progresses, there will be more opportunities for Australian industry to register interest for the supply of major equipment throughout the programme.”