Ghost Shark

[BMJ]

Australia's AI Submarine Leaves China's Navy in the Dark

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wBiMsCcnqwc

Wes O'Donnell
May 21, 2025
Hey friends, Wes here. Today we’re diving into a stealthy monster that didn’t roll off a dry dock but arrived quietly aboard a C-17: Australia’s Ghost Shark drone submarine. This thing just landed in Hawaii for joint testing with the U.S. Navy—and it might be the most disruptive undersea platform in decades.

Thanks to @Quasnob for requesting a video on this system in a previous comment. Well, here it is, my good sir (or madame).

Built by Anduril Industries Australia, Ghost Shark is a next-gen Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL-AUV)—modular, AI-powered, and crewless. It’s not a concept. It’s operational, ahead of schedule, and now being tested in RIMPAC, one of the world’s largest naval exercises. This thing doesn’t surface. It doesn’t talk. It just gets launched and disappears into contested waters to spy, strike, lay mines, or make rival admirals very nervous.

P.S. I don't care for the political view at the end of the video only the topic.

[BMJ]

Ghost Shark Factory Opens in Sydney — First Vehicle Off the Line Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Undersea Acceptance Testing

Quote:
Just seven weeks after the Royal Australian Navy awarded a A$1.7 billion Program of Record, Anduril today officially opened its new, state-of-the-art Ghost Shark manufacturing facility in Sydney. ... the first Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL-AUV) has rolled off the line ahead of schedule and is ready for sea acceptance testing ahead of planned delivery to the Royal Australian Navy in January 2026.

The factory opening follows the Royal Australian Navy’s award of a A$1.7BN contract to Anduril Australia to deliver a large fleet of Ghost Sharks over the next five years. Anduril announced the successful Program of Record designation after successfully completing the co-development contract and delivering three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs ahead of schedule and on-budget. This was a part of the AU$140M co-development contract to design and develop three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs in three years.

The new 7,400m² facility is purpose-built to produce Ghost Shark, and its commercial baseline the Dive-XL, at-scale and, subject to Government approval, for export to allies and partners around the world. It combines advanced robotic manufacturing, AI-driven logistics and a custom test tank for in-water verification of buoyancy, electrical systems and safety before sea trials.

The Ghost Shark manufacture program has commenced with Low-Rate Initial Production, moving to full scale production in 2026. It incorporates input from a supply chain of over 40 Australian SMEs and companies that provide a broad range of components, subcomponents and materials.

Link: https://www.anduril.com/article/ghos...ule-ready-for/

[BMJ]

Australia advances undersea warfare capabilities

For the first time, the Government is today unveiling the development and integration of payloads into the Ghost Shark and Speartooth Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles and BlueBottle. Some of these payloads will take part in Exercise Maritime Big Play Pacific.

Australia has disclosed that Ghost Shark can be armed with advanced heavyweight and lightweight torpedoes to autonomously attack vessels and submarines as well as ... payload examples include the remote delivery of supply caches, sea mines and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

Link: https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/...e-capabilities

Link: https://www.anduril.com/altius

[Johnnycomelately]

TWZ has a story about Ghost Shark, their second. It is mostly about the mission/capability of launching small aerial drones, for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance), or for electronic jamming, or for direct attack.

This mission is one of three, the others being dispensing sea mines, and placing logistics packages on the ocean floor.

One of the commenters (comment section below the article) is sceptical of the aerial mission, because the low freeboard probably means that a fairly calm sea state is necessary.


https://www.twz.com/sea/ghost-shark-...the-first-time


Edit: here is the previous article, published Oct 20, 2026. I don’t know if they had any stories prior to that.

https://www.twz.com/sea/ghost-shark-...for-first-time

[BMJ]

Posted by Johnnycomelately (here)

One of the commenters (comment section below the article) is sceptical of the aerial mission, because the low freeboard probably means that a fairly calm sea state is necessary.

Below, the Pacific Ocean on the 24 September 2026, HMAS Perth (front) sails in company with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer, JS Ise, and Royal New Zealand Navy Aoteroa-class replenishment ship, HMNZS Aotearoa during regional presence off the coast of Subic Bay in the Philippines.

There are many more images of calm seas in the Pacific Ocean to be had.