The Australian DoD has entered into a contract with Anduril Australia to build the infrastructure required to develop the first production variant of the Ghost Shark XL-AUV (pictured) by the end of 2025. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian government has expedited the development of the Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV).
In a media release on 5 August, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said that it has entered into an “early works contract” with Anduril Australia to accelerate development of the production variant of the Ghost Shark XL-AUV.
“Anduril Australia will construct a manufacturing facility that will see the first production variant of the Ghost Shark available by the end of 2025,” the DoD said.
The manufacturing facility will be constructed in Australia. The facility will be equipped to produce military variants of the Ghost Shark XL-AUV for the DoD and Australia's allies, as well as commercial variants of the vehicle, the DoD added.
The Australian government and Anduril Australia are each investing AUD20.1 million (USD13 million) to expand the supply chain and build the infrastructure required to produce Ghost Sharks, the DoD said.
Anduril Australia designed the Ghost Shark in collaboration with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). Anduril Australia and the Australian government have each previously invested AUD70 million for the development of Ghost Shark.
The DoD said Ghost Shark is expected to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to the RAN and strengthen the service's undersea strike capabilities.
A total of 42 Australian companies are part of the supply chain network that will support the manufacturing of Ghost Shark, the DoD added.
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