Anduril Australia Opens New Ghost Shark Factory
On 31 October 2025, Anduril Australia inaugurated its new 7,400m² Ghost Shark manufacturing facility in Sydney. This factory is dedicated to producing underwater vessels for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Facility Opening and First Production Milestone
The launch event was attended by Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy and Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond. It marked the rollout of the first series-produced Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV), which is set for delivery ahead of schedule.
“The Ghost Shark is the most high-tech, long-range autonomous underwater capability that exists in the world today….” – Pat Conroy
Contract and Production Plans
This milestone follows the Royal Australian Navy’s awarding of a A$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) programme-of-record contract to Anduril for a fleet of Ghost Sharks just seven weeks earlier. The first vessel is now ready for in-water testing and expected to be delivered to the RAN by January 2026.
Additional XLAUVs will be delivered over the next five years. Anduril is currently in the low-rate initial production stage and plans to ramp up to full production in 2026.
“This project is an exemplar of how the government and Defence are partnering with innovative companies to rapidly deliver capability to the warfighter.” – Pat Conroy
Previous Development
Before the programme of record, Anduril Australia co-developed and built three Ghost Shark prototypes under a three-year A$140 million (US$92 million) contract.
Author's summary: Anduril Australia’s new facility accelerates production of the Ghost Shark XLAUV, supporting the Royal Australian Navy with cutting-edge autonomous underwater technology on a large-scale contract.