Australia outlined new payloads for its Ghost Shark underwater vehicle on Oct. 19, including the capacity to deploy 12 sea mines, as it prepares for an exercise with its AUKUS partners.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said one Ghost Shark would be able to release 12 mines at a time. He also described launching Altius aerial drones in swarms, though he gave no number for a swarm. The aircraft could gather intelligence, conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, or carry out strikes, he said.
A third payload is a logistics cache that can hold equipment and supplies underwater until they are needed, Defence Chief Scientist Tanya Monro said. The government identified the three payload types as previously secret and said Ghost Shark's modular design allows it to serve different missions.
The disclosure adds detail to Australia's plans to broaden Ghost Shark's missions. The Australian-designed autonomous vehicle is being built by Anduril Australia for the Royal Australian Navy under an A$1.7 billion contract announced in September 2025. The five-year agreement covers development, production and sustainment.
Conroy said the first vehicle was provided to the Navy for testing and acceptance early in 2026. He declined to give the fleet's precise size. The government plans to invest up to A$5.8 billion over the decade in autonomous and uncrewed undersea warfare, including Ghost Shark.
Anduril Australia Chief Executive David Goodrich said laying mines with an uncrewed vehicle could cost less and expose personnel to less risk than using a crewed vessel.
Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed in May to develop shared payloads and supporting systems for uncrewed undersea vehicles under AUKUS Pillar II. Deliveries under that agreement are scheduled to begin in 2027.
Some newly described payloads are due to take part in Maritime Big Play Pacific, an AUKUS Pillar II exercise in San Diego during the week of Oct. 19. The government did not identify which ones.
