# Australia-US Ghost Shark submarine development

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/australia-us-ghost-shark-submarine-development
> Updated: 2026-10-21T10:22:51.000Z. Sources: 21. Developments: 2.

Australia has disclosed the capabilities of its Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLUUV), a project developed in partnership with the American defense firm Anduril. The platform features a modular design intended to support various combat and reconnaissance roles under the AUKUS Pillar II framework.

Newly revealed payloads include the ability to deploy up to 12 sea mines per mission, the launch of ALTIUS series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to act as an underwater mothership, and the placement of undersea logistics caches to support special forces. 

These technologies are being offered to the United States and the United Kingdom as part of trilateral security cooperation. Some of these mission systems are scheduled to participate in the ‘Maritime Big Play Pacific’ exercise in San Diego to validate multinational coordination of advanced maritime technologies.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-21: Anduril Ghost Shark uncrewed submarine reveals modular payloads

Australia and Anduril have unveiled the modular payload capabilities of the Ghost Shark uncrewed submarine, including sea mines, logistics caches, and the ability to launch ALTIUS unmanned aerial vehicles.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/anduril-ghost-shark-uncrewed-submarine-reveals-modular-payloads

### 2026-10-19: Australia unveils secret payloads for Ghost Shark autonomous submarines

Australia has revealed secret payloads for its Ghost Shark autonomous submarines, including sea mines, ALTIUS drones, and supply caches, to bolster AUKUS Pillar II maritime capabilities.

15 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-unveils-ghost-shark-autonomous-submarine-capabilities

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Cite as: Australia-US Ghost Shark submarine development. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/australia-us-ghost-shark-submarine-development
