The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has awarded Anduril a $1.7 billion contract to deliver, develop and support a large fleet of Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (XL-AUV) over the next five years. The Ghost Sharks will be manufactured in a facility in Australia.
“The Ghost Shark is a world-leading platform made right here in Australia," Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, said. “Over the next five years and beyond the Ghost Shark will equip Navy with the intelligence, surveillance and strike capabilities it needs in an increasingly complex strategic environment.”
The Program of Record has followed the delivery of all three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs, and multiple highly capable mission payload modules, on schedule and on-budget, according to Andruil, as part of the initial $140 million three year co-development contract.
“Ghost Shark has reached Program of Record status in just three years — a remarkable milestone made possible through an unprecedented co-development and co-investment partnership with NAVY, DSTG and ASCA. This achievement reflects what is possible when Defence and industry work shoulder-to-shoulder: ideating, innovating, and inspiring each other to deliver extraordinary advancements in subsea technology," Executive Chairman and CEO, Anduril Australia, David Goodrich, stated.
Ghost Shark is an Extra Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (XL-AUV) that provides Navy with a stealthy, long-range, trusted undersea capability that can conduct persistent and disruptive intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and strike.
It leverages an all-electric powertrain capable of executing long-range, long-duration missions without surfacing, preserving stealth and increasing time on mission.
The Ghost Shark has been engineered to carry multiple distinct mission payloads, all of which were designed and delivered as part of the R&D program. The modular capability and design-for-production allows for the platform to be manufactured at scale as part of the Program of Record.