The Royal Australian Navy has awarded Anduril Australia a Program of Record worth A$1.7 billion (US$1.12 billion) to produce a fleet of Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous submarines, moving the system from prototype to fleet deployment in under three years. Production of the vessels is already underway.
The Ghost Shark initiative originated through a co-development and co-funding model between the Navy and Anduril, departing from traditional acquisition approaches. Both sides shared financial and institutional risk to accelerate the development timeline.
According to the announcement, Ghost Shark will be employed for coastal defense patrols and wide-area domain awareness operations, supported by artificial intelligence systems. Australian officials view the project as a response to regional security challenges and an opportunity to establish a new framework for autonomous maritime capabilities.
Anduril stated that collaboration with the Royal Australian Navy was embedded in every stage of development, with company engineers working alongside naval personnel at bases to conduct joint testing and capability assessments. The company highlighted this as a potential model for future defense programs.
The program builds on Anduril’s 2021 acquisition of Dive Technologies, a U.S.-based autonomous underwater vehicle startup. Within two years, Anduril delivered a prototype derived from Dive’s designs, and has since expanded the platform into additional systems. The company has also invested US$60 million in a new manufacturing facility in Australia dedicated to producing large autonomous submarines.
The deal is seen as one of the first large-scale commitments by a Western navy to field extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles, with implications for allied nations considering similar approaches to undersea warfare and deterrence.