Anduril Australia is building its first Australian production facility for Ghost Shark XL AUVs.
The factory will be able to produce large quantities of Ghost Sharks for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the commercial variant Dive-XL.
Anduril’s autonomous underwater vehicles are designed from the ground up to be produced at scale by incorporating a modular design. Using advanced, scalable manufacturing techniques that allow for rapid iteration based on specific customer requirements, Ghost Shark will transform maritime deterrence through affordable, autonomous mass production.
Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro AC explained that “the Ghost Shark is specifically designed for manufacturability, mass production and flexibility to create a robust supply chain.”
More than 42 Australian companies are involved in the Ghost Shark supply chain and the Early Works Contract will facilitate investment in the Australian industry’s supply chain to grow and scale alongside Anduril Australia.
To accelerate Ghost Shark’s production readiness, Defence and Anduril Australia have entered into a jointly funded Early Works Contract. Defence’s investment of A$20.1 million will be significantly exceeded by Anduril Australia as the company invests in recruiting staff, scaling the government supply chain and building the infrastructure to move the Ghost Shark program from prototype to production. Subject to further regulatory approvals, the first production variant will be available in late 2025.
The Minister for Defence Industry and Capacity Delivery, the Honourable Pat Conroy MP, stated in his press release of 5 August (Albanian Government accelerates production readiness of Ghost Shark program): “The Ghost Shark Early Works Contract is a clear example of how the Albanian Government is working with Australian industry to accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge sovereign capability. Defence is incentivising industry to make significant investments.”
Ghost Shark is an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XL-AUV) that provides the Navy with a cost-effective, stealthy, long-range and reliable underwater capability capable of conducting persistent and disruptive intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and strike. Developing, manufacturing and deploying these systems at scale within an operationally relevant timeframe will be critical to helping defend Australia’s vast maritime borders.
In April, MP Pat Conroy unveiled the first Ghost Shark prototype in Sydney Harbour, a year ahead of schedule and budget.
The Ghost Shark is a collaboration between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) and Anduril Australia. ASCA Director Professor Emily Hilder said: “Ghost Shark is a powerful example of how ASCA can help improve the capabilities of our soldiers by bringing together parts of the defence enterprise and Anduril Australia to achieve an asymmetric advantage.”
The $180 million program was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Anduril Australia.
Anduril has proven its ability to produce flexibly and responsively to support customer demand. The Australian facility complements Anduril’s growing global factory footprint. Most recently, Anduril announced its intention to build Arsenal-1, a 5 million square foot manufacturing facility designed to hyperscale defense production. Anduril also recently announced the opening of its manufacturing facility in Rhode Island, USA, to increase production to 200 Dive-LDs per year. In addition, Anduril announced a $75 million investment to increase solid rocket motor manufacturing and production capacity in Mississippi.
