Australia has announced a significant enhancement to its naval capabilities with a $1.1 billion investment in a fleet of advanced “Ghost Shark” underwater attack drones. This move, touted as essential for bolstering the nation’s defense amid an increasingly complex regional security environment, aims to keep pace with the growing military strength of China in the Pacific.
The Royal Australian Navy is set to deploy dozens of these autonomous drones, designed and developed within Australia, with the first units expected to enter service as early as January of next year. This initiative forms part of a broader military restructuring, emphasizing long-range strike capabilities that are critical for national defense.
The government has signed a five-year contract worth 1.7 billion Australian dollars with Anduril Australia to build, maintain, and enhance these extra-large, uncrewed underwater vehicles, a project anticipated to create approximately 150 jobs. Defense Minister Richard Marles described the Ghost Shark drones as representing “the highest tech capability in the world,” highlighting their long-range and stealth features. These drones will be utilized for a variety of military operations, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and offensive strikes.
Marles characterized the current strategic landscape as the most complex and “threatening” faced by Australia since World War II, noting the increasing need for a capable defense force. “All that we are doing in terms of building a much more capable Defence Force is to deter conflict and to provide for the peace and stability of the region in which we live,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of these advancements.
This development is part of a larger strategy that also includes Australia’s plans to acquire stealthy, nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement made with the United States and Britain. However, there is ongoing scrutiny in the U.S., with some critics questioning the implications of exporting such submarines to Australia before addressing domestic military needs.
Despite this, Marles expressed confidence that the Ghost Shark drones, along with future nuclear submarines, will be “fundamentally critical” for Australia’s military capability. In conjunction with these underwater drones, Australia has also announced plans to upgrade its naval fleet with 11 Mogami-class frigates sourced from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This deal, projected to cost around $6 billion over the next decade, marks a significant step in modernizing its aging fleet, replacing the current Anzac-class vessels with these advanced stealth-enabled warships, which are anticipated to enter service by 2030.
Through these strategic enhancements, Australia aims to not only strengthen its defense posture but also reinforce its commitment to regional stability amid evolving security challenges.
