AUSTRALIA is boosting its undersea warfare capability by equipping its Ghost Shark autonomous submarine with "swarms" of aerial drones and sea mines, said its Defence Ministry yesterday.
United States defence technology startup Anduril jointly developed the extra large submarine drone with Australia's defence scientists, and is building a Ghost Shark fleet for Canberra under a A$1.8 billion contract.
The AUKUS partners of Australia, Britain and the US pledged this year to develop interchangeable payloads for drones used in undersea warfare, in addition to their nuclear submarine cooperation.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said after secret trials, three payloads had been approved to "do things we don't want humans to do".
The Ghost Shark would carry up to 12 sea mines, equipment for special forces, and Anduril's Altius aerial drone that could be launched at sea to form swarms to conduct reconnaissance and strike, he said.
Potential adversaries would have to consider that any shipping container at an Australian wharf could have a Ghost Shark in it, he said.
"Not only could there be Ghost Sharks in those shipping containers, but those Ghost Sharks now have teeth," he said.
Australia, concerned at the rapid build-up of China's navy and tensions in the South China Sea, is rapidly expanding its investment in drones.
Anduril earlier this month won a US$2.9 billion contract to build components for the US Navy's Virginia-class submarine and said it would build a new submarine shipyard in the US.
The US is seeking to speed up production so it can sell the submarines to Australia under the AUKUS agreement. — AFP
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