Australia’s Ghost Shark submarines to carry explosive drones and sea mines.
Australia’s Ghosh Shark UUV.
Australia’s Ghost Shark UUV: Australia is preparing to give its naval forces a new kind of underwater weapon, one designed to operate without a human crew and carry out dangerous missions far from its shores. The Ghost Shark, an autonomous underwater drone being developed for the Royal Australian Navy, will be capable of launching explosive-carrying aerial drones, deploying sea mines and delivering supplies to special forces operating in difficult-to-reach locations.
The newly disclosed capabilities provide a clearer picture of how Australia intends to use the Ghost Shark as part of its future military strategy. The programme combines underwater autonomy with a range of weapons and equipment that can be adapted to different missions, potentially changing how the navy conducts surveillance, attacks enemy vessels and restricts access to important waterways.
The Australian government has committed $1.7 billion to the programme, with dozens of the underwater vehicles expected to enter service over the coming years.
What is the Ghost Shark?
The Ghost Shark is an autonomous underwater vehicle, meaning it can operate beneath the sea without a crew on board. Developed by defence technology company Anduril Australia in partnership with the Australian government, it is designed to perform missions that would otherwise require crewed submarines, surface ships or naval personnel.
Unlike a conventional submarine, which carries sailors and must accommodate their needs, an uncrewed vehicle can be designed around its mission. It does not need living quarters or life-support systems for a human crew, potentially allowing it to operate with fewer logistical demands.
The Ghost Shark is also built around a modular design. This means its equipment and payloads can be changed depending on what a particular mission requires. Different configurations could support reconnaissance, weapons deployment, underwater operations or the delivery of supplies.
Defence officials describe the vehicle as a force multiplier: a system intended to increase the effectiveness of existing military forces rather than simply replace them.
The idea is that autonomous vehicles can take on repetitive, difficult and dangerous tasks, allowing sailors and crewed submarines to concentrate on missions that require human judgement and specialised capabilities.
Three newly revealed capabilities
Australian Defence officials have disclosed three key functions that show how the Ghost Shark could be used in combat and military support operations.
The first is the ability to launch swarms of Anduril Altius aerial drones. These uncrewed aircraft can be used for reconnaissance, helping military forces gather information about enemy movements and positions. They can also carry up to four kilograms of explosives, giving them the potential to strike targets, including enemy vessels.
Launching aerial drones from an underwater platform could offer a different approach to deploying them. A submarine operating beneath the surface may be able to position itself without being immediately visible, although the effectiveness of such operations would depend on factors including communications, mission planning and the surrounding environment.
The second capability is the deployment of sea mines. According to Defence, a Ghost Shark can carry up to 12 mines at a time.
Naval mines are explosive devices designed to damage or destroy vessels that enter a particular area or trigger the weapon’s detection mechanism. They can be used to threaten shipping routes, restrict access to ports or complicate an adversary’s movement through strategic waterways.
An autonomous submarine capable of laying mines could give Australia another way to establish these threats without sending a crewed ship into potentially hostile waters. Australian Government’s Defence Department says the capability could help close access to critical waterways quickly.
The third function involves carrying supply caches. These are packages of equipment or other essential supplies that can be delivered to special forces operating in remote or difficult-to-access locations.
Together, the three capabilities illustrate the Ghost Shark’s intended flexibility. It is not being developed solely as an underwater weapon but as a platform that can support surveillance, combat and logistical operations.
Why Australia wants uncrewed underwater weapons
Operating submarines is expensive, complex and potentially dangerous. Crewed vessels require trained personnel, extensive support infrastructure and careful management of risks to human life.
Autonomous underwater vehicles offer an alternative for missions that do not necessarily require people on board.
Anduril Australia representative David Goodrich has said the Ghost Shark is intended to take on the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks previously assigned to sailors. Mine-laying, he argued, is one example where an autonomous vehicle could reduce the risks associated with deploying weapons from a crewed ship or other manned platform.
However, uncrewed does not mean risk-free. Autonomous submarines still have to navigate underwater, manage their energy supplies, execute missions reliably and operate in an environment where communications can be difficult. Their effectiveness will depend on how well they perform under realistic operational conditions.
The Ghost Shark’s modular design could also help Australia adapt to changing military requirements without having to develop an entirely new vehicle for every mission.
A $1.7 billion programme moves towards deployment
The Australian government signed contracts for Ghost Shark production in September last year. The total number of vehicles being acquired has not been disclosed, although officials expect dozens to be delivered to the navy.
The first vehicle was delivered in January, and Ghost Sharks are participating in maritime exercises with the United States and the United Kingdom off Southern California this month.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the newly revealed weapons gave the vehicles a more formidable role.
His description that the Ghost Sharks now have “teeth” reflects their capacity to threaten targets and deny access to areas through mine deployment. He also highlighted their potential to strike targets thousands of nautical miles from Australia.
That range of potential missions could make the system valuable in a region where maritime distances are vast and military forces must monitor important shipping routes and strategic approaches.
Nevertheless, the disclosed capabilities should not be confused with proof that every proposed mission has been demonstrated operationally. The programme’s long-term value will depend on testing, reliability, integration with other military systems and performance in demanding conditions.
How Ghost Shark fits into AUKUS
Australia is also looking beyond its own navy. The Ghost Shark’s capabilities are being offered to the United States and the United Kingdom through AUKUS Pillar Two, which focuses on cooperation in advanced defence technologies.
The initiative aims to improve technological collaboration and interoperability between the three countries. In this context, interoperability means that systems, equipment and capabilities can work together effectively across allied forces.
Australia’s stated export focus is on common payloads and sensors rather than necessarily persuading its partners to purchase the same underwater platform. The United States and Britain already have their own defence programmes and approaches to autonomous systems.
The Ghost Shark is also part of a broader international trend towards uncrewed underwater warfare. The US Navy’s Orca, for example, is another large autonomous underwater vehicle being developed for military missions.
Competition in this field is likely to extend beyond the vehicles themselves to the sensors, software, weapons and communication technologies that make them useful.
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Export ambitions and the challenges ahead
The Ghost Shark is one of Australia’s most significant recent defence technology projects, alongside the uncrewed Ghost Bat aircraft. Both programmes carry ambitions for international sales, although export decisions depend on cost, performance, procurement priorities and the availability of competing systems.
Germany, which had explored the Ghost Bat, has reportedly shifted towards considering a broader competition involving European alternatives. Conroy has characterised the change as a different procurement strategy rather than a definitive rejection of the Australian aircraft.
For the Ghost Shark, the interest of the United States and the United Kingdom could provide an important opportunity to expand cooperation, but there is no guarantee that either country will purchase the platform.
The technology also raises wider questions about the growing role of autonomous weapons at sea, including how they are controlled, how their actions are authorised and how military forces manage the risks of operating them in contested waters.
For Australia, the immediate objective is clear: to build a fleet of underwater vehicles that can extend naval reach while reducing the need to expose sailors to dangerous missions.
If the Ghost Shark performs as intended, it could give Australia a more flexible way to monitor maritime environments, deploy weapons and support special forces. Its significance will ultimately depend not simply on the weapons it can carry, but on how reliably those capabilities can be integrated into real-world naval operations.
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