Ghost Shark factory opens in Sydney

Anduril Australia last week announced the opening of its Sydney manufacturing facility for the Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL-AUV), as well as the completion of the first vehicle line ahead of schedule and ready for in-water testing, just seven weeks after the Royal Australian Navy awarded a $1.7 billion Project of Record designation for the project.

The first Ghost Shark underwater vehicle is planned for delivery to the Royal Australian Navy in January 2026.

The factory opening follows the Royal Australian Navy’s award of a $1.7 billion contract to Anduril Australia to deliver a large fleet of Ghost Sharks over the next five years.

Anduril announced the successful Program of Record designation after successfully completing the co-development contract and delivering three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs ahead of schedule and on budget. This was a part of the $140 million co-development contract to design and develop three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs in three years.

The new 7400 m² facility is purpose-built to produce Ghost Shark and its commercial baseline, the Dive-XL, at-scale and, subject to government approval, for export to allies and partners around the world. It combines advanced robotic manufacturing, AI-driven logistics and a custom test tank for in-water verification of buoyancy, electrical systems and safety before sea trials.

The Ghost Shark manufacture program has commenced with low-rate initial production, moving to full-scale production in 2026. It incorporates input from a supply chain of over 40 Australian SMEs and companies that provide a broad range of components, subcomponents and materials.

Beyond the XL-AUV, the facility is also configured to manufacture Dive-XL and Dive-LD variants and is ready to support future platforms such as Anduril’s Copperhead family of high-speed autonomous underwater vehicles.

“The Ghost Shark is the most high-tech long-range autonomous underwater capability that exists in the world today and the Albanese government is proud to have supported its development,” said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry.

“Today marks a defining moment in our mission to bring sovereign undersea capability to Australia,” said David Goodrich, Chairman and CEO of Anduril Australia. “With the opening of this new facility, we are not only building local infrastructure and workforce — we are investing in innovation, in partnerships, and in the future defence of our nation. Affordable, disruptive and distributed mass is a central tenet of undersea deterrence, and we look forward to supporting Australia and its allies by producing Ghost Sharks right here in Sydney.”