Strategic NewsGhost Shark Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles’ Payload Bay Seen For First Time
Ghost Shark Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles’ Payload Bay Seen For First Time
Auckland Museum Collections from Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Toward Programme

Ghost Shark Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles’ Payload Bay Seen For First Time

The War Zone·2026-10-20AUS DefenceP3: Industrial BaseP6: Defence Surge
Why it matters

Australia's Ghost Shark XL-AUV programme is advancing into concrete payload integration and operational design, demonstrating progress on a key autonomous undersea-warfare capability that complements the AUKUS submarine transition. This modular, persistent ISR-and-strike platform closes a gap in Australia's undersea dominance posture and reflects industrial-base growth in autonomous systems.

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From the series
The Unprepared series · Part III

The Greatest Military Buildup in History

In 1991 the People's Liberation Army watched its own obsolescence unfold on live television. Part III of the Unprepared series.

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This week's Warning Time

This was AUKUS week, and not in the way its architects would have liked. An independent inquiry recommended scrapping the submarine pact outright, a parliamenta…

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Where this sits in the model

This development bears on 2 of the eight pillars of Australian preparedness — the overall picture right now is 5/100.

P3: Industrial Base3/100P6: Defence Surge0/100
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