Anduril opens facility to produce Ghost Shark AUV

Anduril Australia has opened a facility in Sydney to manufacture Ghost Shark XL-AUV. (Commonwealth of Australia)

Anduril has opened a facility in Sydney to manufacture its Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XL-AUV) that will be supplied to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

“The Ghost Shark manufacture programme has commenced with low-rate initial production, moving to full-scale production in 2026,” Anduril Australia announced on 31 October.

Anduril Australia was awarded a contract worth AUD1.7 billion (USD1.1 billion) from the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) in September to deliver an undisclosed number of Ghost Sharks over the next five years. The XL-UAV will support the RAN's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and strike operations.

Anduril Australia said it has manufactured the first Ghost Shark unit, which is now ready for sea acceptance trials. This first unit is scheduled to be delivered to the RAN in January 2026, the company added.

The new 7,400 m² facility will also manufacture the commercial baseline platform of Ghost Shark, Dive-XL, which can be exported to allied militaries if approved by the Australian government, Anduril Australia said.

According to Anduril, Dive-XL is a modular platform that can carry three payloads at a time, or one extra-large payload. Depending upon the payload it can be used for strike, communications, or ISR operations. It can operate underwater for weeks without surfacing or intervention.

Anduril Australia said the new facility is capable of advanced robotic manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven logistics, and has a custom test tank for in-water verification of buoyancy, electrical systems, and safety before sea trials.

The facility will use components and materials supplied by more than 40 Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the company added.