The Royal Australian Navy has revealed the types of payloads that will be carried by Anduril’s Ghost Shark autonomous submarine, and what it showed represents one of the most impressive developments to come out of the drone field to date.
A number of Ghost Shark’s weapon systems will be tested during the ongoing AUKUS Pillar II exercise, according to the Australian authorities.
The Ghost Shark extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) is a military variant of Anduril’s Dive-XL autonomous submarine that was outfitted specifically for the Royal Australian Navy.
Not a lot of confirmed information on the Ghost Shark is available, but we do know a bit more about the Dive-XL, which has already seen operational service with the U.S. Navy.
While exact specs for the Dive-XL have not been released, there’s enough footage and imagery available to make some credible estimates about its size.
The platform appears to be about 36 feet long and a bit more than 6.5 feet in diameter, but it’s important to understand that the sub was designed from the outside with payload modularity in mind.
Sandboxx News believes that the DIve-XL can be equipped with one to three payload modules in its midsection, stretching or shrinking the length of the submarine to accommodate different types of gear. With a single payload module, the sub has been reported to displace nearly 50,000 pounds, and with three, nearly 84,000. All told, these subs can reportedly haul up to 8,000 pounds of gear when equipped with one payload module, and up to 24,000 pounds with three.
That weight has to be stuffed into Anduril’s claimed maximum payload volume, or internal space, of 11.4 cubic meters, or about 402.6 cubic feet. This would allow it to carry up to a dozen sea mines or other kinds of canister-launched effects like Anduril’s Altius-600 and 700 series drones.
In its ISR trim, the Altius 600 can fly 233 miles and stay airborne for up to 3.5 hours; its armed version can deliver roughly nine-pound warheads to targets from about 100 miles out.
The larger Altius 700 can cover 286 miles, stay airborne for upwards of four hours; its armed sibling can deliver 33-pound warheads out to the same roughly 100-mile range.
While fairly small, the armed variants of either drone could wreak havoc on coastal defenses. Tantalizingly, Anduril could potentially also integrate its containerized Barracuda 500M cruise missile launchers into these subs.
Importantly, the Dive-XL, or Australia’s Ghost Shark derivative, would very likely need to surface before launching any of these weapons. Launching drones and missiles from a submerged position, although possible, creates substantial new engineering challenges. Further, the drone would need to surface to receive target coordinates, because radio transmissions don’t penetrate seawater well.
With a publicly disclosed range of 2,000 nautical miles, or 3,700 kms, these subs are designed for extended-duration operations (though we don’t quite know how long that means), serving as remote spy platforms or as pre-positioned strike assets.
Anduril also says that they can be used to drop supply caches for special operators or other covert missions.
Importantly, these subs can be transported via a standard 40-foot shipping container and deployed just about anywhere thus enhancing their usefulness.
Australia has not disclosed the number of Ghost Sharks it has on order, but one official described the figure as “dozens and dozens.” The contract for the drones is worth $1.7 billion.
Feature Image: Australian officials next to Anduril’s Ghost Shark drone, September 2025. (Australian Department of Defence)
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