In short:
Australia's Ghost Shark submarines will carry advanced sea mines and launch armed aerial drones, according to newly declassified details.
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submarines → carry → details
While it was previously known the Ghost Sharks were armed, until now it has not been clear exactly how it could strike potential adversaries.
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it → know → adversaries
The sea mine and drone capabilities are being offered to the UK and US under AUKUS technology-sharing arrangements.
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capabilities → offer → arrangements
Australia's fleet of lethal Ghost Shark underwater drones will be armed with explosive aerial drones and advanced sea mines.
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fleet → arm → drones
Dozens of Ghost Sharks are being delivered to the Royal Australian Navy over the next few years under a $1.7 billion contract signed last year.
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Dozens → deliver → contract
While it was previously known to carry lethal capabilities, until today the specifics of exactly what sort of payload it could carry were heavily classified.
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it → know → payload
Defence today revealed three of the autonomous submarines' key capabilities.
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Defence → reveal → capabilities
One is an ability to launch swarms of Anduril Altius aerial drones which can be used for reconnaissance or carry four kilograms of explosives to target enemy vessels.
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which → launch → vessels
It can also carry up to 12 sea mines at a time, which Defence says can be used to quickly close access to critical waterways.
And it can also carry special supply caches, essentially dropping supplies for special forces units in hard-to-reach locations.
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it → carry → locations
Contracts for the supply of Ghost Shark drones were only signed last September, and while the total number is not being revealed, "dozens and dozens" are expected to be delivered to the navy.
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dozens → sign → navy
The first was delivered in January this year, and Ghost Sharks are in service this month at joint Maritime Big Play exercises with the United States and United Kingdom off Southern California.
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Sharks → deliver → California
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Ghost Sharks carried a different threat to potential adversaries.
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Sharks → say → adversaries
"Those Ghost Sharks now have teeth,"he said.
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Sharks → have → teeth,"he
Fleets of uncrewed subs
The Ghost Shark is described as a "force multiplier", designed to operate alongside crewed submarines and take on dangerous, difficult or mundane workloads.
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Shark → describe → workloads
It is built with a modular design, meaning it can be fitted out with different capabilities for different missions, including carrying torpedoes, reconnaissance equipment and personnel.
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it → build → torpedoes
David Goodrich from Anduril Australia said it was designed to free up naval personnel from the worst tasks.
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it → say → tasks
"Ghost Shark will do the dull, dirty and dangerous missions previously tasked to our sailors, leaving them to do the high-value missions and jobs,"he said.
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Shark → do → missions
He said mine laying was a clear example.
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laying → say → ?
"Ghost Shark will autonomously, accurately and securely deploy naval mines at significantly lower cost and risk than using a surface ship or crewed asset," he said.
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he → deploy → ship
The new Ghost Shark capabilities are being offered to the US and UK under AUKUS Pillar Two technology sharing arrangements designed to be interoperable with whatever autonomous systems they choose to use.
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they → offer → systems
Both carry significant hopes for export, with countries such as Germany actively exploring options like the Ghost Bat.
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countries → carry → Bat
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited Australia in March, addressing the National Press Club.
He later said Germany was formally investigating the possibility.
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Germany → visit → possibility
But news outlet Politico recently reported that Germany had dropped plans to directly acquire the Ghost Bat, and would instead consider it among other European-developed alternatives.
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it → report → alternatives
Mr Conroy today sought to downplay the German shift.
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Conroy → seek → shift
"My understanding is the German government has adopted a slightly different procurement strategy where they intend to run an open competition," he said.
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he → adopt → competition
The Ghost Shark is one of a number of similar uncrewed submarines in development or production around the world, including the United States Navy's Orca.
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Shark → include → Orca
Mr Conroy said the US and UK would get the chance to see the Ghost Shark at upcoming exercises, and he "hasn't given up hope" they would take an interest.
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they → say → interest
But he said payloads were the export focus under AUKUS Pillar Two.
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payloads → say → Pillar
"The decision around marquee projects was to invest in common payloads and sensors," he said.
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he → invest → payloads
"We all have a range of our own platforms to deliver them."
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We → have → them
The Aporia