Australia Spends IDR 18.1 Trillion On "Ghost Shark", Underwater Drone Fleet Anduril

JAKARTA - Australia announced it will disburse US$1.7 billion (Rp18.1 trillion) for the underwater autonomous vehicle fleet "Ghost Shark". This underwater drone was developed by its defense forces with US startup company Anduril Industries, for surveillance and attack.

Australia's Defense Minister, Richard Marles, told reporters on Wednesday September 10 that the Ghost Shark will complement the Australian Navy's surface and submarine fleet to provide "more capable and more deadly sealifts".

"The Ghost Shark relics will be built in Australia, with export opportunities to allies," Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said. "He has the capability to carry out intelligence, surveillance, and recognition as well as attacks on very far from mainland Australia," Conroy said. He added that the first Ghost Shark will be operational from January 2026.

Australian defense officials declined to provide details on how far the Ghost Shark is, or how much will be built at the Anduril plant in Australia.

Australia is separately planning to buy and build nuclear-powered submarines with Britain and the United States from the early 2030s under the AUKUS program to ward off the rapid construction of China's marine fleet in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia's Navy chief, Mark fireman, said Ghost Shark could operate remotely from Australian bases, naval vessels, and could also be transported by military aircraft to be "dislivened forward".

"Underwater fighting rooms will continue to be up for grabs and getting denser, but in the end it is the least transparent environment on the planet and I'm sure our allies and partners will continue to enjoy the advantages of capabilities in that space,"

While the administration of the US president under Donald Trump reviewed AUKUS and urged Australia to increase defense spending, Marles said the Ghost Shark fleet was funded in the existing defense budget.

Contracts with Anduril Australia include the delivery, maintenance, and continued development of the Ghost Shark over the next five years, officials said.

US President Donald Trump urged EU officials to drop fares to 100% against China on Tuesday.

Anduril has prepared facilities in New South Wales for production ahead of any contract. The company began working with Australian defense forces in the development of the Ghost Shark in 2022. Ghost Shark has grown rapidly from concept to production in three years as the Australian Royal Navy bears common risks, Anduril Industries said in a statement.

"Over the years, Australia has faced the presence of persistent and threatening Chinese naval assets in the waters of its home. Ghost Shark ... can directly address these challenges through coastal defense patrols and wide domain awareness supported by artificial intelligence on a large scale," said Anduril Industries statement.

The Australian Defense Science and Technology Group has stated that it wants to integrate autonomous technology into defense forces as Australia has a broad coastline and up to 3 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) of northern oceans that need to be maintained, but only relatively rare populations.