Australia’s Ghost Shark Underwater Drone to Carry Asteria Smart Mines and ALTIUS Kamikaze Drones

Australia has revealed the weapons systems of its new Ghost Shark underwater drone, developed by Anduril, for the first time.

The War Zone reported on this.

The weapons were demonstrated during a visit by Pat Conroy, Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, to Anduril Australia’s facility in Sydney. Although government officials provided only a general description of the weapons, released photographs offer a clearer view of the systems carried by the underwater drone.

The Ghost Shark was designed as a modular platform that allows its payload to be quickly changed to suit different missions. Its design features separate bow and stern sections, along with a central section whose length can be adjusted to accommodate different types of equipment.

Photographs show several cylindrical components of unknown purpose. These may be ballast tanks or containers for specialized equipment, including reconnaissance systems.

ALTIUS-family drones, which can carry out strike and reconnaissance missions, were also displayed alongside the underwater vehicle. This suggests that Ghost Shark could be used to covertly deploy these drones. However, the method of launching them from the underwater vehicle and the number that could be carried onboard remain unknown.

Photographs also suggest that Australian Ghost Shark vehicles may be equipped with Rheinmetall’s Asteria “smart” 533 mm naval mines. The same diameter is used by standard Western-made torpedoes, including the Mark 48.

This suggests that the vehicle could potentially also employ torpedo armament, although this capability has not yet been officially confirmed.

The development of Ghost Shark is a strategic project for the Royal Australian Navy, being carried out under the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator program. In May 2022, an order for three prototypes was announced,and the first vehicle was launched in April 2024.

In late October 2025, Militarnyi reported the opening of an Anduril facility in Australia dedicated to manufacturing these underwater drones.

The total contract value is estimated at approximately $1 billion. The Australian government had previously invested around $140 million in developing the platform, its mission modules, and the associated manufacturing infrastructure.

The facility is expected to produce “dozens” of these vehicles, although the exact number has not been disclosed. The technical specifications of Ghost Shark also remain classified.