The Australian government is accelerating production of the Ghost Shark program as part of a commitment to provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with the cutting-edge capabilities it needs to safeguard Australians and their interests.
Defence and Anduril Australia have entered into a co-funded early works contract for the Ghost Shark program which will provide Navy with a long-range autonomous vehicle that will deliver a cost-effective, persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike undersea capability.
To see this cutting-edge technology realised, the government is co-investing $20.1 million alongside Anduril Australia, which will contribute more than $20.1 million to scale the sovereign supply chain and build infrastructure to transition the Ghost Shark program from prototype development to production. To date, Defence has invested $90.1 million.
Anduril Australia will construct a manufacturing facility that will see the first production variant of the Ghost Shark available by the end of 2025. The company will construct the facility in Australia with a factory capable of manufacturing Ghost Sharks for Defence and our international partners, as well as a commercial variant.
The early works contract will also facilitate investment into the Australian industry supply chain so it can grow and scale alongside Anduril Australia. As many as 42 Australian companies are part of the Ghost Shark supply chain.
The Ghost Shark is part of the government’s investment of up to $7 billion for the development and acquisition of subsea warfare capabilities and new autonomous and uncrewed maritime vehicles. The Royal Australian Navy, Defence Science and Technology Group and Anduril Australia have co-designed the Ghost Shark prototypes. The Ghost Shark program is being progressed with the support of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA).
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy said: “The Ghost Shark early works contract provides a clear example of how the Albanese Government is working with Australian industry to accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge sovereign capability. Defence is incentivising industry to make substantial capital investments. Contracts like this help scale Australian industrial capacity and deliver sophisticated defence capability, while bringing more investment and jobs into the Australian economy. The Ghost Shark program exemplifies how Australia’s defence industry can develop cutting edge technology and deliver at pace.”
Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro said: “Ghost Shark has been specifically designed for manufacturability, mass production and flexibility to create supply chain resilience. DSTG has contributed project management and trusted autonomy skills to ensure scalable success. This shows what can be achieved by focused collaborative development and co-investment.”
Head of ASCA Professor Emily Hilder said: “The co-funded early works contract between Anduril Australia and Defence will accelerate production readiness of the Ghost Shark program as well as scale the Australian supply chain at an unprecedented pace. Ghost Shark is a powerful example of how ASCA can help accelerate capability to our warfighters, bringing together parts of the Defence enterprise as well as Anduril Australia, to help deliver an asymmetric advantage.”
For Editorial Inquiries Contact :
Editor Kym Bergmann at kym.bergmann@venturamedia.net
For Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at simon.hadfield@venturamedia.net
Anduril’s Ghost Shark & Fury (collaborative combat aircraft), coupled with many LRASM/PRISM armed HIMARS hidden around the northern island chain…Australia’s only hope of delivering anything resembling a deterrent in the next decade.
Yes, it gives us some hope.
Anything moving the ADF forward is good news, Has any decision been made on numbers?. Anduril is working on at least three but I would assume they would be the prototype models. Ive not heard anything about how many. Also has any word surfaced on C2 Robotics Speartooth ? Working in conjunction they could be a formidable tandem. What with the USN Submarine Program already around three years behind on construction and years behind on maintenance on the Virginia and AUKUS looks like a long way off. We certainly need something to go our way.
It’s beyond frustrating to see an actually sovereign Australian defence SME continually get shafted by the Australian defence procurement blob. C2’s Speartooth should be getting as much support from the government as Anduril Australia’s Ghost Shark if not more so.
Couldn’t agree more
AUKUS is not a long way off. The first two subs have been build already and are currently in USN service. These drones do a very different job to what the SSN’s do.
We don’t know how far off the AUKUS delivery is because it is dependent on at least two important variables: 1) the construction of new Virginia class submarines reaching 2.33 per year; and 2) a future US President legally certifying to Congress that a transfer to Australia will not diminish USN capabilities. If you can tell us on which dates those events will occur – even to the nearest year – please feel free to include the name of the next Melbourne Cup winner.
The AUKUS SSN hasn’t even been started yet, as far as anybody knows the final design isn’t even finished, so I find it difficult to believe 2 have already been launched.
Correct.
“will provide Navy with a long-range autonomous vehicle that will deliver a cost-effective, persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike undersea capability”
Has this actually been proven via prototypes or is it just Anduril advertising that the DoD and RAN have bought into?
Has it ever actually launched anything that would prove its potential for “strike undersea capability”?
Anduril purchased a company several years ago that indeed produces UUVs in the DIVE-LD series: https://www.anduril.com/hardware/dive-ld/
The ones being built for Australia are a larger version using some of the same technologies, so whether it can be called proven is open to debate, but there is plenty of substance there. I don’t know the answer to the question about strike capabilities. I suspect not, but I don’t know that for sure.