The British government announced on Sunday that it has concluded contracts worth 4 billion pounds (4.6 billion euros) with several groups, including BAE Systems, to finance the new generation attack submarine program “SSN-Ocus”.

The deals, involving British groups Rolls-Royce and Babcock, are part of the OCOs military alliance concluded between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom to counter Chinese ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Announcing the new move at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Defense Secretary Grant Shabbs said: “These submarines will strengthen the Royal Navy with the aim of maintaining our strategic superiority under the sea.”

Last March, US, British and Australian leaders launched this joint plan for nuclear-powered submarines (but without nuclear weapons). The British prime minister at the time hailed it as “the most important multilateral security agreement in generations”.

In a separate statement, BAE Systems said the future SSN-Ocus will be “the largest, most powerful and most advanced submarine” to be delivered to the Royal Navy, and is intended to “replace the Astute”.

The British defense group pointed out that the government investment would include “employing over five thousand people” at its site in Barrow-in-Furness in northern England.

The first prototypes of this submarine are scheduled to be delivered in the late 2030s.

Nuclear-powered submarines are harder to detect, can cover longer distances, and are capable of carrying more advanced cruise missiles.