First ‘Ghost Shark’ Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Rolls Off the Production Line

As part of Australia’s accelerated shipbuilding programme, the autonomous underwater vehicle went from concept to delivery in less than 3 years.

Pictured at the Anduril Ghost Shark production facility formal opening are Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (L), Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy (R), and the company's Chairman for Australia David Goodrich. Courtesy of Anduril

An unmanned submarine—called an Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL-AUV) or “Ghost Shark”—has rolled off the production line just 3 years after it was first mooted.

Manufactured by Anduril, the vehicle was delivered to the Royal Australian Navy just seven weeks after a $1.7 billion contract to deliver what the company calls “a large fleet of Ghost Sharks over the next five years.”