Australia to spend $1.1bn on underwater ‘Ghost Shark’ attack drones

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles says ample underwater onslaught drones person ‘very agelong range’ of operations.

Australia volition walk 1.7 cardinal Australian dollars ($1.1bn) connected a fleet of extra-large underwater “Ghost Shark” onslaught drones, successful a determination that officials said would supplement the country’s plans to get blase nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said connected Wednesday that the Ghost Shark autonomous underwater vehicles volition complement Australia’s naval aboveground fleet and submarines to supply “a much susceptible and much lethal navy”.

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“This is simply a profoundly important capableness for the Royal Australian Navy,” Marles said.

“We person consistently articulated that Australia faces the astir complex, successful immoderate ways, the astir threatening, strategical scenery that we person had since the extremity of the 2nd satellite war,” Marles said.

The authorities said it signed the $1.1bn, five-year declaration with Anduril Australia to build, support and make the uncrewed undersea vehicles successful Australia.

“This is the highest tech capableness successful the world,” Marles said, adding that the drones would person a “very agelong range” arsenic good arsenic stealth capabilities.

Australia is successful the midst of a large subject restructuring, focused connected bolstering its long-range onslaught capabilities successful an effort to equilibrium China’s expanding subject mightiness successful the Asia Pacific region.

An extra-large Ghost Shark autonomous undersea conveyance is displayed astatine the Royal Australian Navy basal HMAS Kuttabul, successful Sydney, Australia, connected September 10, 2025 [Hollie Adams/Reuters]

Marles besides said that Australia was present a starring subordinate successful “the satellite successful presumption of autonomous underwater subject capabilities, and Ghost Shark is susceptible of engaging successful intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike”.

Dozens of Ghost Sharks volition beryllium built successful Australia, with opportunities to export to the country’s allies, Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said, adding that the archetypal Ghost Sharks volition beryllium successful work astatine the opening of 2026.

Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group has said it wants to incorporated autonomous exertion into the country’s defence forces due to the fact that Australia has a immense coastline and up to 3 cardinal quadrate kilometres (1.1 cardinal quadrate miles) of bluish water that needs to beryllium defended, but lone a comparatively sparse population.

Separately, Australia plans to physique stealth, nuclear-powered submarines with the United Kingdom and the United States nether the AUKUS programme implicit 3 decades.

But critics of the AUKUS woody successful the US person questioned wherefore Washington would merchantability nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its ain subject first.

As a effect of the criticism, US President Donald Trump’s medication has enactment AUKUS nether reappraisal to guarantee it aligns with his “America First” agenda.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies