Australia Deploys ‘Ghost Shark’ Underwater Drones as Navy Tests New Mine‑Laying and Strike Roles
Australia has begun rolling Anduril’s extra‑large autonomous ‘Ghost Shark’ underwater drones off the production line, with the Royal Australian Navy now testing payloads for mine‑laying and drone swarm missions.
Australia is moving a new class of crewless submarines from development into service, adding a different kind of platform to its naval toolkit.
The Royal Australian Navy has adopted the Ghost Shark, an extra‑large autonomous underwater drone built by Anduril. According to available footage and reporting, Ghost Sharks are now coming off the production line, and the navy is testing their payloads.
Public descriptions say the Ghost Shark can carry naval mines and deploy swarms of smaller drones for reconnaissance and strike missions. That turns each unit into a kind of underwater carrier for other unmanned systems.
For Australian planners, this offers a way to operate in contested waters without putting submarine crews at risk. Ghost Sharks can be sent on long missions, lay mines, or position and recover sensor networks while exposing only hardware, not personnel.
The ability to use autonomous submarines for mine‑laying has direct implications for commercial shipping and port operators. Mines can close or restrict access to key routes at relatively low cost, and drones that can place them covertly raise new planning questions for any future crisis.
Observers will be watching how quickly Australia scales up Ghost Shark production, how the navy integrates the drones into exercises, and whether partners start to report unfamiliar autonomous craft operating near sensitive sea lanes. Those will be early signs of how fast this new platform moves from testing to regular operations.
Sources
- OSINT