Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles says massive underwater assault drones have ‘very lengthy vary’ of operations.
Printed On 10 Sep 2025
Australia will spend 1.7 billion Australian {dollars} ($1.1bn) on a fleet of extra-large underwater “Ghost Shark” assault drones, in a transfer that officers stated would complement the nation’s plans to amass subtle nuclear-powered submarines.
Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles stated on Wednesday that the Ghost Shark autonomous underwater automobiles will complement Australia’s naval floor fleet and submarines to supply “a extra succesful and extra deadly navy”.
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“It is a profoundly vital functionality for the Royal Australian Navy,” Marles stated.
“We now have constantly articulated that Australia faces essentially the most complicated, in some methods, essentially the most threatening, strategic panorama that we now have had because the finish of the second world battle,” Marles stated.
The federal government stated it signed the $1.1bn, five-year contract with Anduril Australia to construct, preserve and develop the uncrewed undersea automobiles in Australia.
“That is the best tech functionality on the earth,” Marles stated, including that the drones would have a “very lengthy vary” in addition to stealth capabilities.
Australia is within the midst of a serious army restructuring, targeted on bolstering its long-range strike capabilities in an effort to stability China’s increasing army would possibly within the Asia Pacific area.
Marles additionally stated that Australia was now a number one participant in “the world by way of autonomous underwater army capabilities, and Ghost Shark is able to partaking in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike”.
Dozens of Ghost Sharks can be inbuilt Australia, with alternatives to export to the nation’s allies, Australian Minister for Defence Business Pat Conroy stated, including that the primary Ghost Sharks can be in service originally of 2026.
Australia’s Defence Science and Know-how Group has stated it needs to include autonomous know-how into the nation’s defence forces as a result of Australia has an unlimited shoreline and as much as 3 million sq. kilometres (1.1 million sq. miles) of northern ocean that must be defended, however solely a comparatively sparse inhabitants.
Individually, Australia plans to construct stealth, nuclear-powered submarines with the UK and america below the AUKUS programme over three a long time.
However critics of the AUKUS deal within the US have questioned why Washington would promote nuclear-powered submarines to Australia with out stocking its personal army first.
Because of the criticism, US President Donald Trump’s administration has put AUKUS below evaluation to make sure it aligns together with his “America First” agenda.
