“This grade of steel has never been manufactured outside of France before, so this first order is an important step in confirming Bisalloy’s manufacturing processes and capabilities in producing the very high specification steel required,” said Greg Albert, managing director of Bisalloy Steels.

According to the announcement from Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne, the steel will be trialed to see whether it meets pressure hull specifications under the country’s Future Submarines program. Through the program, Australia intends to put a dozen new submarines into service over the next 30 years. 

Pyne said over the past 12 months, the contractor, Naval Group, has been working with Bisalloy and BlueScope Steel Ltd. to develop and qualify Australian steel for the submarines.