Australia reveals Ghost Shark submarine payloads: mines, loitering munitions, supply caches
Australia's Navy unveiled the payloads its Anduril-built Ghost Shark autonomous submarines will carry, including sea mines, Altius loitering munitions, and supply caches, as it builds a fleet to fill capability gaps while waiting for nuclear submarines.
What happened
On October 19, 2026, at Anduril's manufacturing facility in Sydney, Australia's Defence Ministry publicly displayed three payload types for the Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV). The payloads included sea mines, swarms of Anduril's Altius-600 loitering munitions, and logistics supply caches. Australian Defence Minister Pat Conroy explained that Ghost Sharks can deploy from shipping containers, small ship sterns, or wharves, and that the modular design allows the submarines to adapt to different missions. Other payloads under development include torpedoes and electronic warfare systems. Australia is spending A$1.7 billion (roughly US$1.2 billion) to purchase "dozens and dozens" of Ghost Sharks, though the exact number remains undisclosed. Navy Chief Vice Admiral Matt Buckley emphasized the platforms' flexibility for undersea warfare, sea denial, and protecting critical underwater infrastructure.
Background
Ghost Shark is a bus-sized autonomous submarine co-developed by Anduril and Australia's Defence Department. It can operate underwater for weeks and is designed to supplement Australia's aging fleet of six Collins-class diesel-electric submarines while the country waits years for nuclear-powered submarines to arrive. Australia formally adopted Ghost Shark into its Navy program in September 2025, and Anduril opened its Sydney manufacturing facility in October 2025. The U.S. Navy also selected Anduril for a similar program called XL-AUV in 2026. Altius-600 loitering munitions are small drones that can perform surveillance and strike missions.
What to watch next
Australia has not disclosed how many Ghost Sharks it will purchase beyond "dozens and dozens," and additional payload variants are still in development. Watch for announcements of total fleet size, delivery timelines, and whether other allied navies adopt or develop similar systems with Anduril.
Sources
- Original report: Australia unveils secretive Ghost Shark underwater drone payloads (Defense News, Nov 2, 2026) Defense media
- Defense News: Australia unveils secretive Ghost Shark underwater drone payloads Defense media
- Inside Unmanned Systems: Australia Details Mine, Drone and Supply-Cache Payloads for Ghost Shark XL-AUV Other outlet
Written by Anduril News with AI assistance from the original report and other coverage, in plain English. It can contain mistakes; check the original for anything important. How we write these.
