Anduril Industries has opened a 7,400 m² Ghost Shark manufacturing facility in Sydney and rolled the first Ghost Shark XL autonomous underwater vehicle off the line ahead of schedule. The vehicle is ready for in-water acceptance testing and is slated for delivery to the Royal Australian Navy in January 2026.
The factory opening follows a A$1.7 billion Program of Record awarded by the Royal Australian Navy. Anduril said the site will produce the Ghost Shark XL-AUV and commercial Dive-XL baseline at scale, with Low-Rate Initial Production already under way and full-scale production planned for 2026.
The facility includes automated manufacturing, AI-driven logistics, gantry tracking and a custom in-water test tank plus adjacent engineering labs for live software and hardware tuning. Anduril said the program draws on a supply chain of more than 40 Australian small and medium enterprises and will create more than 150 skilled jobs.
Anduril completed a prior AU$140 million co-development contract under which three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs were designed and delivered ahead of schedule and on budget, the company said. The factory is configured to build Dive-XL and Dive-LD variants and may support future platforms such as the Copperhead family, subject to government approvals for exports.
Quotes attributable to the Hon Pat Conroy MP Minister for Defence Industry
“The Ghost Shark is the most high-tech long range autonomous underwater capability that exists in the world today and the Albanese Government is proud to have supported its development,” said the Hon Pat Conroy MP Minister for Defence Industry. “The opening of this factory is about backing Australian ingenuity and innovation, but also securing hundreds of well-paid high-skilled jobs and a future made in Australia.”
Quotes attributable to David Goodrich OAM Chairman and CEO Anduril Australia
“Today marks a defining moment in our mission to bring sovereign undersea capability to Australia. With the opening of this new facility, we are not only building local infrastructure and workforce — we are investing in innovation, in partnerships, and in the future defence of our nation. Affordable, disruptive and distributed mass is a central tenet of undersea deterrence, and we look forward to supporting Australia and its allies by producing Ghost Sharks right here in Sydney.”