SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was confident a deal for the US to sell nuclear powered submarines to Australia was on track, ahead of talks between defence and foreign ministers of the two nations on Friday (Jul 28).

Twenty-five US Republican lawmakers told President Joe Biden on Thursday the plan to sell three attack submarines to Australia under the AUKUS partnership would "unacceptably weaken" the US fleet without a clear plan to replace them.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are in Queensland state for the annual AUSMIN dialogue, where progress on the nuclear-powered submarine deal, regional security and clean energy will be the focus.

"I am very confident," Albanese told reporters on Friday, when asked about the Republican letter, which noted the AUKUS agreement was "vitally important" but shouldn't weaken the US fleet.

The US is Australia's major security ally, and the AUKUS project announced with Britain in March will see the United States sell Australia three US Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the early 2030s, before Britain and Australia produce a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - the following decade.

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a Sky television interview on Friday that Australia, which has agreed to invest $3 billion in US submarine facilities, understood there was "pressure on the American industrial base" but AUKUS was "on track".

"Why this arrangement is going to be so advantageous for all three countries is because we will develop an industrial base in this country which will contribute to the net capability of Australia, the UK and the US," he added.