Australia has revealed for the first time what its large autonomous underwater vehicle Ghost Shark is capable of. It turns out the vessel can perform combat and logistics missions: laying mines, launching aerial drones, and leaving supply caches on the seabed.
This was announced on 19 October by the Australian Ministry of Defence. Minister Pat Conroy, following a visit to Anduril’s factory in Sydney, stated that Ghost Shark is capable of laying 12 mines per mission, leaving logistics caches on the seabed, and releasing swarms of Altius drones for reconnaissance and strikes.
“Ghost Shark now has teeth,” he said.
Three New Payload Types for Ghost Shark
| Payload | What Is Known |
| Sea mines | Up to 12 per mission. A Rheinmetall Asteria mine in 533 mm calibre was displayed alongside the vehicle: it can be deployed from ships, aircraft, and submarines, and can be controlled via acoustic communication. Designed for the defence of ports and straits. |
| Underwater supply caches | Being developed by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). Preliminary assessments suggest these are capsules similar in design to the Asteria mine. |
| Anduril ALTIUS drones | Launched for reconnaissance or strike missions. |
Modularity is built into the design: the bow and stern are separate, with an expandable mid-section, and hull modules come in various sizes. This allows the vehicle to be configured for different missions.
ALTIUS-600: What Is Known About the Drone
| Parameter | Value |
| Weight | 20–27 lbs (≈9–12 kg) depending on payload |
| Payload capacity | 3–7 lbs (≈1.4–3.2 kg) |
| Maximum range | approximately 275 miles (≈440 km) |
| Flight endurance | at least 4 hours |
| Variants | ALTIUS-600 (ISR), ALTIUS-600M (strike) |
Technical Specifications of the Underwater Vehicle
| Parameter | Ghost Shark (XL-AUV) |
| Developers | Anduril Australia, DSTG, Royal Australian Navy |
| Length | Approximately 12 m. Square hull cross-section approximately 3 m deep. No official data available. |
| Design | No conventional pressure hull: features watertight zones for propulsion, navigation, and payload |
| Deployment | From a container, crane-launched from a small vessel |
The National Defence Strategy and the 2026 Investment Program allocate up to A$5.8 billion for autonomous and uncrewed underwater vehicles, of which A$1.7 billion is earmarked for a new fleet of Ghost Sharks — approximately US$1.19 billion. Minister Conroy states that the vehicles are coming off the production line at an increasing rate. The first production vehicle has already been delivered to the Navy, and more than 40 Australian companies have been incorporated into the supply chain.
