Anduril Opens Factory to Build Unmanned Submarines for Australia

American defense company Anduril Industries has officially opened a production facility dedicated to its "Ghost Shark" unmanned submarine, which is being produced in significant numbers for the Royal Australian Navy.

About the Ghost Shark Submarine

The Ghost Shark is an Australian adaptation of Anduril's Dive-XL platform, an all-electric autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) classified as extra-large, sized to fit within a standard 40-foot container. The Dive-XL’s design allows customization by adding midsection modules of different lengths, enabling the submarine to carry various third-party payloads.

The Australian naval variant is engineered to provide "cost-effective, stealthy, long-range, trusted undersea capability that can conduct persistent and disruptive intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR)."

Unlike many unmanned subs, the Ghost Shark is also intended to be equipped for strike missions.

Contract and Production Status

In September, the Royal Australian Navy awarded Anduril a contract worth US$1.1 billion to commence large-scale production of the Ghost Shark. By the time of this contract, Anduril had delivered three prototypes for testing and was nearing completion of the first production model.

The first low-rate production hull was officially revealed at the factory launch ceremony, which was attended by Australia’s defense minister and the head of the Royal Australian Navy.

Significance

This development marks a major step in expanding Australia's undersea autonomous capabilities using advanced, adaptable technology tailored for a range of missions including intelligence gathering and strike operations.

The Maritime Executive — 2025-11-04