With Anduril’s help, Australia has done what the U.S. Navy has struggled to accomplish: transition an extra-large undersea drone from white board to under contract in just three years.
Anduril announced Tuesday that a fleet of its XL uncrewed undersea vehicle (XLUUV) “Ghost Shark” will begin operations in Australian waters next year under a massive AUS$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) contract.
The five-year award structure is the defense-startup holy grail; it’s a program of record that essentially locks in recurring revenue by becoming a line item in the country’s defense budget. The contract for the platform, which provides long-range, stealthy surveillance and strike operations, covers delivery, maintenance, and continued development.
It also reflects political urgency in Australia to field new capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to deter the rising threat from China.
“At the end of the day, this comes down to having seriousness, having imagination, and having will to conceive a new idea and bring it to fruition. And that’s what the Australian government has done,” Anduril President Chris Brose said in an interview. “Australia has fewer people, a lot less money, and many of the same bureaucratic challenges that our Pentagon has, and they have been able to accomplish this.”
The contrast with the United States is stark.
The only XLUUV under development, Boeing’s Orca, is years behind schedule. By comparison, Anduril and Australia co-developed and jointly funded Ghost Shark in 2022, each putting in $50 million. The first prototype was delivered in April 2024, twelve months ahead of schedule, and production has already begun.
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The program presents a new model for defense procurement. Anduril put some of its own capital on the line to derisk Australia’s otherwise rapid acquisition timeline.
Anduril isn’t stopping with Australia.
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