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Australia will buy dozens of high-tech, locally made submarines drones under a $1.7 billion plan to boost the military’s autonomous capabilities and compete with China’s rapid military build-up.
The Albanese government announced on Wednesday that it had awarded United States defence firm Anduril a contract to develop and manufacture a fleet of “Ghost Shark” extra-large underwater drones for the navy, with the first vessel scheduled to enter service in January.
Ghost Shark vessels made in Australia could then be exported overseas to the US and other nations in a significant win for the Australian defence industry.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy at the unveiling of the Ghost Shark at Garden Island in Sydney.Credit: Janie Barrett
The undersea drones, which do not carry any crew, can be used to strike enemy targets such as submarines and ships while also conducting surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
“This is the highest tech capability in the world,” Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters in Sydney, describing the Ghost Shark as a “profoundly important capability for the Royal Australian Navy”.
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Asked how the technology compares to the military capabilities displayed by China’s People’s Liberation Army at a lavish military parade in Beijing last week, Marles said: “I mean, we are really confident in standing here today and saying that Ghost Shark is the best underwater autonomous military capability on the planet”.
Marles said he had to be careful about detailing the Ghost Shark’s exact specifications and capabilities, but the black, boxy vehicles are based on a 5.8-metre-long and 2.7-tonne prototype.
The vehicles can operate autonomously for up to 10 days at a depth of up to 6000 metres, allowing them to conduct missions too difficult or dangerous for crewed vessels.
Developed specially for the Royal Australian Navy, the prototype vehicles have been manufactured in Sydney.
Marles said the Ghost Shark was designed to work alongside the navy’s crewed ships and submarines, including the nuclear-powered submarines Australia is set to acquire under the AUKUS pact.
China’s HSU100 underwater drone.Credit: AP
Anduril, founded by American entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, said in a statement that the Ghost Shark’s entry into full production “marks the start of a new era of seapower through maritime autonomy”.
“For years, Australia has faced the persistent and threatening presence of Chinese naval assets in its home waters,” the company said, adding that autonomous vehicles “can directly address this challenge through coastal defence patrols”.
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A Chinese naval flotilla circumnavigated Australia in March and conducted live-fire exercises in the Tasman Strait, raising questions about Australia’s maritime surveillance capabilities.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Ghost Shark will be able to “provide strike at extremely long distances from the continent of Australia”.
“They can be launched from ships or from containers around the Australian mainland,” he said.
“This was designed, developed and manufactured in Australia, and it will continue to be made in Australia.
“We’re also very excited about the opportunities to export to allies and like-minded countries because ... we are confident that we are leading the world in this advanced, extremely large autonomous undersea capability.”
More to come
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