Lockheed Martin Australia and Acacia Research have teamed up to integrate the advanced combat systems for the Sea 1000, the Royal Australian Navy’s future submarine project.

The SEA 1000 is a project for 12 future-generation submarines, which are expected to replace the Australian Navy’s six existing Collins Class diesel electric submarines.

According to the team plan, Lockheed Martin Australia will serve as the prime contractor and systems integrator, and will manage the entire project.

Once the contract is awarded, Lockheed will develop and integrate an advanced combat system for the new submarine class while Acacia Research will remain as a principal team member.

Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive officer Paul Johnson said teaming with Acacia Research will help in the areas of submarine combat system open architectures, underwater acoustics processing, tactical data management systems and systems engineering.