Australia acquires Ghost Shark XL-AUVs for navy

Australia has acquired an undisclosed number of Ghost Shark XL-AUVs for the Royal Australian Navy. (Commonwealth of Australia)

Canberra has signed a deal to acquire an undisclosed number of Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles (XL-AUVs) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

A statement released by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) on 10 September said that a AUD1.7 billion (USD1.1 billion) contract has been signed with Anduril Australia for the “delivery, maintenance, and continued development of the Ghost Shark over the next five years”.

“The cutting-edge platform is designed to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike operations stealthily and at long range,” said the DoD in the statement.

“It will deliver a significant boost to Australia's undersea warfare capabilities – complementing [the] navy's future surface combatant fleet and conventionally armed, nuclear‑powered submarines,” it added.

The contract builds upon the approximately AUD140 million that Canberra has already invested in the development of the Ghost Shark platform, payloads, and production facilities since entering into a collaborative contract with Anduril in 2022.

Neither the DoD nor Anduril has given details of the Ghost Shark XL-AUV in its statements, but from images released thus far, the vehicle is estimated to have an overall length of about 6 m and a height of approximately 2 m.

It does not appear to have a conventional pressure hull but has instead been designed to be flooded with seawater, with separate waterproof compartments for electronics and propulsion.

The XL-AUV is equipped with a pair of bow-mounted planes, and a sail-like structure on the top part of its hull presumably houses the vehicle's communication antennas.