Australia’s Ghost Shark Autonomous Sub Arrives In U.S. For Testing

One of the three Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV) Anduril is building for Australia arrived in the U.S. for American-based testing recently, the company said Tuesday.

The Ghost Shark is designed and built in Australia, geared toward being a modular multi-purpose capability that can adapt to different mission requirements. 

The company unveiled the first prototype vessel in April, one year ahead of schedule and on budget (Defense Daily, April 19).

An Anduril Ghost Shark Arriving in the United States via a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 in summer 2024. (Photo: Anduril)
An Anduril Ghost Shark Arriving in the United States via a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 in summer 2024. (Photo: Anduril)

It said early production and testing for the prototype has been “crucial for rapid learning and iteration, enabling Anduril to deliver an operationally relevant capability at the speed required to defeat and deter the emergent threats.”

Ghost Shark is designed to be at sea for months at a time to conduct long-range missions including persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and strike. The company reiterated the AUV includes Anduril’s AI Lattice command and control platform.

This Ghost Shark vehicle was brought to the U.S. via a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster to coincide with the international Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise, which lasted from June 27 to Aug. 1 around the Hawaiian islands.

“With the first Ghost Shark currently in Australia, this milestone will expand the test envelope for Ghost Shark by enabling concurrent testing on both sides of the Pacific and be available for collaboration with U.S. government partners,” the company said in a statement.

Anduril’s 2022 $140 million co-development contract with the Royal Australian Navy and the Defence Science and Technology Group agreed for them to design and develop three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs in three years, with the last vessels expected to be delivered by the end of 2025. 

“The first prototype was delivered one year early and on budget, and all three will be delivered by June 2025. So, from conception to full realization, less than three years,” Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, said in a statement.

During the initial unveiling in April, the company underscored it was working with more than 42 Australian companies on Ghost Shark and had a goal to manufacture the vessel at scale for Australia and later to export it to allies and partners.

Australia, the U.S. and U.K. are working to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered and conventionally-armed submarines via the AUKUS agreement, starting with three used and new Virginia-class attack submarines in the 2030s. Pillar Two of AUKUS features cooperation on other military technology, like autonomous and uncrewed vehicles.

Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicle. (Photo: Australian Ministry of Defence)
Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicle. (Photo: Australian Ministry of Defence)

The U.S. is already working with Boeing [BA] and its partner HII [HII] to develop the Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) for the Navy. Boeing delivered an engineering development model of the Orca in 2023 while delivery of the final version has been delayed.

Relatedly, on Aug. 14 Anduril announced it is building its first Australian manufacturing factory for the XL-AUVs, designed to be able to build “large numbers” of Ghost Sharks for Australia and its allies as well as a commercial Dive-XL variant.

The company reiterated its AUVs are designed to be produced at scale due to their modular design combined with advanced scalable manufacturing techniques that allow rapid iteration based on customer needs.

It said investment by the Australian government will be exceeded by Anudril’s Australia business unit as it invests further in hitting, scaling up the sovereign supply chain and building infrastructure to transition from prototype to full production, pending Australia government approval.

On Aug. 5, Conroy said the Ghost Shark contract “provides a clear example of how the Albanese Government is working with Australian industry to accelerate the delivery of cutting- edge sovereign capability. [The Ministry of Defence] is incentivising industry to make substantial capital investments.”