Exactly one week after China paraded several new uncrewed maritime drones, Canberra announced Wednesday that it will invest 1.7 billion Australian dollars ($1.1 billion) to build a new fleet of extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles for the Australian Navy.
Known as the "Ghost Shark" series, these cutting-edge, long-range platforms will be designed to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike operations, both stealthily and at long range, providing “a significant boost to Australia’s undersea warfare capabilities,” the Department of Defence in Canberra said Wednesday.
Anduril Australia, the local subsidiary of the U.S. defense technology giant, has been awarded the contract for the delivery, maintenance and continued development of the systems over the next five years.
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