Australia has entered into a $1.1 billion contract with Anduril Industries to produce extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles, known as Ghost Shark, for the Royal Australian Navy.
“Over the next five years and beyond the Ghost Shark will equip Navy with the intelligence, surveillance and strike capabilities it needs in an increasingly complex strategic environment,” Minister for Defence Richard Marles said in a media release.
Officials anticipate these attack drones will enhance Australia’s undersea warfare capabilities and support the RAN’s future surface combatant fleet.
Coalition Warfare in the Indo-Pacific
Under the contract terms, Anduril is set to deliver the first Ghost Shark vehicles to the Australian Navy in January 2026. Marles informed reporters in Sydney that “dozens” more units will follow.
According to the defense chief, the underwater attack drones will complement a fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines being developed under the AUKUS partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom. Australia expects to receive the first of those submarines by 2032.
Rear Adm. Richard Seif, who heads the U.S. Navy’s AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Direct Reporting Program Management Office, emphasized the importance of allies and partners in maintaining integrated combat readiness and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Sovereign Capabilities and the Local Maritime Industry
Government officials have stated that the program aims to create a sovereign uncrewed maritime warfare capability while also offering “strong prospects for export” as part of Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy.
The contract with Anduril builds on approximately $92.5 million in government funding allocated since 2022 for developing the Ghost Shark platform, its payloads and production facilities.
“This is a critical capability that the Albanese government is delivering at pace, with all three prototypes delivered on budget and ahead of schedule,” Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said.
Ongoing investment in this capability is expected to sustain around 120 jobs while creating more than 150 highly skilled, long-term positions within Anduril’s Australian operations. Additionally, over 40 domestic suppliers are involved in the program’s supply chain, collectively supporting 600 jobs across the industrial base.