A submarine that sets off with nobody on board and drops mines or launches flying drones along the way. That is what Australia wants from Ghost Shark. The country has announced three new types of payload for the vessel built by defence company Anduril.
Alongside mines and drones, the payloads include supply packages left underwater for later collection. Changing the load should allow the same submarine to carry out different missions. The new capabilities are still being tested.
What should the submarine be able to do?
According to Australian minister Pat Conroy’s explanation, Ghost Shark is intended to deploy up to twelve sea mines at a time. These are explosives placed underwater to threaten enemy ships or deny access to an area of sea.
Australia is also working on carrying and launching ALTIUS drones. These are uncrewed aircraft that, according to the minister, can be used to survey an area or conduct attacks. A submarine could therefore carry out tasks above the water as well.
The third application is delivering supplies underwater. These are different possible payloads. The announcement does not say that all the mines, drones and supplies fit on board at the same time.
Why leave the crew ashore?
A vessel like this lets a navy carry out missions without sending people on board. Ghost Shark is more compact than a conventional crewed submarine. According to Conroy, a crane can lower it into the water from a smaller ship.
That makes it usable in different places from a large submarine. Australia has been working for some time on a fleet with uncrewed underwater vehicles. They are intended to operate alongside crewed naval ships.
From trials to everyday use
The Australian government presents the new payloads as the next step in that development. Tests must establish how reliable the different applications are. An announced capability is not yet the same as a system the navy can fully deploy.
Other countries are also working on uncrewed vessels, including the BlueWhale submarine for Germany and drone boats with anti-ship missiles. They have different roles, but show how navies want to hand more work to machines without crews.
Main image: Ghost Shark with its payload bay open in Sydney, 19 October 2026. © Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence.
