Ghost Shark program on fast track
Production of the Ghost Shark program will be accelerated with Defence and Anduril Australia entering into a co-funded early works contract that will provide Navy with a long-range, cost-effective, persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike undersea capability.
FILE IMAGE: Conceptual rendering of Ghost Shark under water.
To see this cutting-edge technology realised, Defence is co-investing $20.1 million alongside Anduril Australia, which will contribute “more than $20.1 million” to scale the sovereign supply chain and build infrastructure to transition the Ghost Shark program from prototype development to production.
To date, Defence has invested $90.1 million.
Anduril Australia will construct a manufacturing facility that will see the first production variant of Ghost Shark available by the end of 2025.
The company will construct the facility in Australia with a factory capable of manufacturing Ghost Sharks for the ADF and our international partners, as well as a commercial variant.
An early works contract will also facilitate investment into the Australian-industry supply chain so it can grow and scale alongside Anduril Australia.
As many as 42 Australian companies are already part of the Ghost Shark supply chain.
The Royal Australian Navy, Defence Science and Technology Group and Anduril Australia co-designed the Ghost Shark prototypes.
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy said Ghost Shark early works contract would provide a clear example of how the government was working with Australian industry to accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge sovereign capability.
“Defence is incentivising industry to make substantial capital investments,” Mr Conroy said.
“Contracts like this help scale Australian industrial capacity and deliver sophisticated defence capability, while bringing more investment and jobs into the Australian economy.
“The Ghost Shark program exemplifies how Australia’s defence industry can develop cutting-edge technology and deliver at pace.”
Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro said Ghost Shark had been specifically designed for manufacturability, mass production and flexibility to create supply-chain resilience.
“DSTG has contributed project-management and trusted-autonomy skills to ensure scalable success,” Professor Monro said.
“This shows what can be achieved by focused collaborative development and co-investment.”
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