Anduril’s Aussie drone sub ‘one year early and on budget,’ heads to production

Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said Anduril's Ghost Shark is part of the Australian military's $5.2 billion to $7.2 billion investment in undersea uncrewed maritime systems.

GARDEN ISLAND — In a bright spot for Australian defense procurement, an important domestic defense program, the first Ghost Shark autonomous submarine prototype, has come in early and on budget.

“The first prototype was delivered one year early and on budget, and all three will be delivered by June 2025. So, from conception to full realization, less than three years,” an upbeat Pat Conroy, minister for defense industry, told reporters here in Sydney’s main naval base. Clearly demonstrating the government’s confidence in the program’s progress, Conroy said it will move directly from prototype to production.

The Ghost Shark, he said, is part of defense’s coming $5.2 to $7.2 billion investment in undersea uncrewed maritime systems. Of course, the program will have to continue meeting the Defense Department’s key parameters as it proceeds, but for now the sub system “is not just meeting them, it’s surpassing them,” Conroy said.

Read Full Article