# Australia's Ghost Shark Submarines to Carry Drones and Sea Mines

> Australia announced its Ghost Shark autonomous submarines will be equipped with aerial drones and advanced sea mines, a move that strengthens the nation's defense capabilities.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-19T06:35:43.359108Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/australia-s-ghost-shark-submarines-to-carry-drones-and-sea-mines-16aa6561

Australia officially announced on October 19, 2026, that its Ghost Shark autonomous submarines will be armed with Altius aerial drones and advanced sea mines, a development that significantly enhances the nation's defense capabilities and forms a key part of the AUKUS defense pact [1][6][9]. This move is part of a current A$1.8 billion (approximately US$1.3 billion) contract for a fleet of Ghost Shark submarines [6].

This development strengthens Australia's strategic posture and its contributions to the AUKUS defense pact, particularly under Pillar II, which focuses on advanced capabilities. The new armaments allow the Ghost Sharks to conduct reconnaissance, strike missions, and expand undersea warfare options without crewed vessels, which is critical for deterrence and operations in the Indo-Pacific region [2][6][7].

## What the Records Show
The Australian government has confirmed that its Ghost Shark Extra-Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (XL-AUVs) will be outfitted with specific payloads. Each Ghost Shark will be capable of carrying up to 12 advanced sea mines [6][9]. The submarines will also deploy Anduril's Altius aerial drones, which can operate in swarms for both reconnaissance and strike missions [6][9]. The announcement also noted the capacity to carry special forces equipment [6][9].

The program operates under a contract valued at A$1.8 billion (about US$1.3 billion) for a fleet of these autonomous submarines [6]. This collaborative effort involves the Royal Australian Navy, the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and Anduril Australia [1][4][8]. The initiative is a key component of AUKUS Pillar II, which focuses on advanced military capabilities [6][7]. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy indicated that the payloads were approved following secret trials [6][9].

## The Timeline
The Ghost Shark program has moved rapidly. In April 2024, the first prototype of the Ghost Shark XL-AUV was delivered, ahead of its initial three-year schedule [2][8]. This early delivery signaled the program's accelerated pace. By late 2025, the first production variant of the Ghost Shark was expected to be available, supported by a new manufacturing facility built by Anduril Australia [8]. Reports in September 2025 detailed a A$1.7 billion commitment over five years to manufacture Ghost Sharks in Australia [11]. The official announcement regarding the armaments, including aerial drones and sea mines, was made on October 19, 2026, by Minister Pat Conroy and Navy Chief Vice Admiral Matt Buckley [1][6]. This announcement came after secret trials confirmed the approved payloads [6][9].

## What Changed and For Whom
The arming of Ghost Shark submarines significantly changes Australia's military capabilities, providing new long-range, stealthy autonomous undersea warfare options [2][10]. The ability to deploy aerial drones for swarm reconnaissance and strike, coupled with advanced sea mines, creates a disruptive capability for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) [4][6][7]. Vice Admiral Matt Buckley stated that this development transforms the program into a “proven, potent and mission-ready capability being delivered at scale” [7]. This capability supports Australia's defense requirements and its role within the AUKUS alliance, allowing for combined crewed and uncrewed operations [4][7]. The program also fosters domestic manufacturing, with Anduril Australia ramping up production in a Sydney factory [5][7][8].

## What the Subject Has Said Publicly
On October 19, 2026, Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy stated in Sydney that

## Evidence cited
1. Ghost Sharks to be armed with aerial drones and advanced sea mines (www.abc.net.au) — https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-19/ghost-shark-fleet-aerial-drones-sea-mines-defence/107283746
2. Australia's robotic submarine program is a year ahead of schedule (newatlas.com) — https://newatlas.com/
3. Ghost Shark: Australia's new underwater drone will be a game-changer (aspistrategist.org.au) — https://aspistrategist.org.au/
4. Uncrewed Systems Showcase (defence.gov.au) — https://defence.gov.au/
5. Australia's Ghost Shark drone submarine deliberately floods its own hull — a radical design choice that makes it nearly invisible at extreme ranges while slashing the engineering complexity that makes traditional submarines so expensive and slow to build. (autonocion.com) — https://autonocion.com/
6. Australia's Ghost Shark submarines to be armed with aerial drones, sea mines (channelnewsasia.com) — https://channelnewsasia.com/
7. Ghost Shark submarines get 'teeth' with new payloads (citynews.com.au) — https://citynews.com.au/
8. Ghost Shark XL-AUV (asca.gov.au) — https://asca.gov.au/
9. Australia's Ghost Shark submarines to be armed with aerial drones, sea mines (berlinertageszeitung.de) — https://berlinertageszeitung.de/
10. Ghost Shark (AUV) (wikipedia.org) — https://wikipedia.org/
11. kitmaker.net (kitmaker.net) — https://kitmaker.net/
12. Ghost Sharks to be armed with aerial drones and advanced sea mines (www.abc.net.au) — https://abc.net.au/news/2026-10-19/ghost-shark-fleet-aerial-drones-sea-mines-defence/107283743