Deadly Aussie-made undersea drones to be tested off California this month as part of AUKUS boost
The Defence Department says the cutting edge technology will boost the Royal Australian Navy’s undersea warfare capabilities.
Deadly payloads will be fitted on locally developed undersea drones and tested during military exercises off California later this month in what the Albanese Government describes as an “historic step” in the AUKUS partnership.
As foreshadowed by The Nightly, Defence Industry Pat Conroy on Monday joined the Chief of Navy - Vice Admiral Matt Buckley - to confirm the integration of the advanced weapons on the Ghost Shark and Speartooth Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles and the BlueBottle platform.
Defence says the cutting edge technology will boost the Royal Australian Navy’s undersea warfare capabilities, seabed operations and its ability to protect of critical undersea infrastructure.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Today is a day when the most advanced extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle in the world, the Ghost Shark, has teeth and has the ability to be deployed anywhere along our coast to deter potential adversaries,” Mr Conroy told reporters.
Speaking at the Sydney facilities of US-owned weapons maker Anduril, which has developed the Ghost Shark locally, Mr Conroy also confirmed some of the new payloads would be tested at an AUKUS Pillar II exercise in San Diego later this month.
Helping to unveil the project, Vice Admiral Buckley said Australia’s vast maritime geography meant the ability to rapidly deliver uncrewed systems would “complement crewed ships and submarines”.
“Our security and prosperity are inseparable from our maritime domain, and as our undersea environment becomes increasingly contested, it’s important that we continue to evolve how we understand, operate, and deliver capability beneath the sea.”
“We must equip our sailors and officers with the skills, tools, and operational advantage to meet emerging challenges and animate new technologies such as the uncrewed systems like the Ghost Shark,” he said.
Earlier this year the defence ministers of Australia, the UK and the US confirmed efforts were underway to start delivering “cutting-edge payloads and enabling systems for AUKUS partners’ Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles” in 2027.
“This project is intended to significantly enhance AUKUS partners’ ability to protect critical national seabed infrastructure; deploy cutting edge surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities; conduct logistics operations; and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare, and contested littoral manoeuvre,” the AUKUS partners said in May.
When Australia’s plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under a new AUKUS partnership were first unveiled in 2021 the partner nations agreed to work on a second pillar of cooperation for other advanced military capabilities.
To date AUKUS pillar two has faced growing criticism for the slow pace of progress in comparison to the $368 billion effort to acquire Virginia-class submarines from the US and then build a new fleet of nuclear-powered boats locally known as SSN-AUKUS.
This week’s unveiling of the first AUKUS Pillar 2 projects comes as the Albanese Government suffers a major setback in efforts to export the uncrewed lethal combat aircraft known as the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, developed in Australia with Boeing.
Germany’s Ministry of Defence has told Boeing it no longer plans to directly buy the unmanned aerial vehicles in a government-to-government deal but will now instead run a procurement competition.
Asked about the German move, Mr Conroy rejected suggestions that Australia was being knocked out of contention to supply a Collaborative Combat Aircraft to the European nation which previously stated it wanted the capability by 2029.
“The German Government has decided to run an open competition to acquire collaborative combat aircraft. We welcome that move. We welcome that as competition is good,” Mr Conroy told reporters.
Defence sources have told The Nightly that Australia was informed of Germany’s decision some time ago and that the department was focussing on other potential export markets such as Poland.
First unveiled at the Avalon air show in 2019 as the “Loyal Wingman”, the Ghost Bat successfully fired a live air-to-air missile and destroyed a target drone in December last year. Australia is hoping to also export the technology to Japan.
