The Australian-built submarines will be able to secretly lay minefields, launch aerial strikes and deliver military supplies to special forces behind enemy lines under the expansion, part of a $5.8 billion investment in autonomous underwater warfare over the next decade.
Each submarine can deploy up to 12 naval mines in a single mission, allowing Australia to block strategically important shipping routes or restrict the movement of hostile warships. They will also carry swarms of Anduril's Altius loitering munitions, small aerial drones capable of conducting surveillance before striking targets. Conroy declined to disclose how many armed drones each submarine could launch, citing operational security.
A third payload will allow the submarines to deposit caches of equipment and supplies beneath the ocean surface for later retrieval, potentially supporting special forces operating in hostile territory.
“The Ghost Shark now has teeth, and we'll have the ability to inflict damage on any potential adversary,” Conroy said.
He described the program as a flagship Australian success story. “Our government opened this factory less than a year ago and Ghost Sharks capable of a range of complex missions operating far from our shores are now rolling off the line at an increasing rate into the hands of the Australian Navy,” he said.
The submarines, which can be launched from shipping containers on wharves or deployed from relatively small vessels, are manufactured at a Sydney factory under a $1.7 billion contract with Anduril. The program has moved from initial development into large-scale production in three years, with the first production submarine already delivered to the navy and more than 40 Australian companies involved in the supply chain.
The government also unveiled a new submarine-detection capability for the Australian-made BlueBottle autonomous surface vessel, which will use a towed sonar array to hunt underwater threats. The technologies will be showcased this week during Exercise Maritime Big Play Pacific in San Diego, involving Australia, the United States and Britain. Anduril has also flagged plans to equip the robotic submarines with heavyweight and lightweight torpedoes.
The move marks a significant advance for AUKUS Pillar II, the technology-sharing arm of the trilateral security pact, and raises questions about the role of comparatively cheap underwater drones alongside Australia's $368 billion nuclear submarine program. The first American Virginia-class submarines are expected in the early 2030s.
Conroy rejected suggestions that rapid advances in autonomous warfare undermined the case for the nuclear submarine program, arguing the two technologies would complement each other. Uncrewed vessels could undertake dangerous missions and operate alongside Australia's existing Collins-class submarines before being integrated with future Virginia-class and AUKUS submarines.
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Matt Buckley said autonomous systems were central to the navy's plans to increase its reach, strengthen undersea warfare and protect critical seabed infrastructure. “Given the vastness of our maritime geography, the ability to rapidly deliver uncrewed systems adds numbers to our fleet and complements our crewed ships and submarines,” he said.
Anduril is also pursuing opportunities to export the submarines to allied countries, including potential customers in the United States and Britain.