Australia To Unveil Payloads for Unmanned Vehicles at AUKUS Exercise

19 October 2026
Edited By: Ed Freeman

The Albanese Government will this week mark a major milestone in the development and testing of advanced undersea warfare capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) at Maritime Big Play Pacific—an AUKUS Pillar II exercise—in San Diego.

For the first time, the Government is today unveiling the development and integration of payloads into the Ghost Shark and Speartooth UUVs and BlueBottle USVs. Some of these payloads will take part in Exercise Maritime Big Play Pacific.

The modular design of these platforms allows them to operate a range of different payloads, customized to the required mission. Payload examples include the remote delivery of supply caches, sea mines, and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

These technologies directly deliver on the Royal Australian Navy’s mission requirements and will contribute to enhanced undersea warfare capabilities, seabed operations, sea denial, and the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.

This latest milestone builds on the testing of payloads and enabling systems with Australia’s AUKUS partners at previous iterations of Exercise Maritime Big Play over the past three years.

It also complements the announcement by AUKUS Defence Ministers in May of the first Pillar II Signature Project: developing cutting-edge payloads and enabling systems for AUKUS partners’ uncrewed undersea vehicles.

Through the 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Program (IIP), the Albanese Government is investing up to $5.8 billion over the decade for autonomous and uncrewed undersea warfare capabilities, including $1.7 billion to acquire a new fleet of Australian-designed and built Ghost Shark platforms for the Royal Australian Navy.

Today’s announcement, at Anduril’s facility in New South Wales, demonstrates Australia’s growing leadership in autonomous undersea technologies and ability to translate cutting-edge innovation into operational capability.

The advancement and design of payloads and enabling systems is a collaboration between the Royal Australian Navy, Defence Science and Technology Group, Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator, and defence industry.

“In an increasingly complex strategic environment, the Albanese Government is committed to delivering practical outcomes that strengthen Australia’s defence capability and build our sovereign defence industry,” said Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles. “The development of advanced, cutting-edge payloads under AUKUS Pillar II is a critical part of our work alongside the United States and the United Kingdom. Australia will again have the opportunity to showcase its sovereign developments at Exercise Maritime Big Play Pacific this week, and our work behind the scenes means we can be more open about our work to deliver these important technologies.”

“Ghost Shark is a flagship Australian success story that showcases the ingenuity of our defence industry and the value of investing in sovereign capability,” added Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy MP. “Our Government opened this factory less than a year ago and Ghost Sharks capable of a range of complex missions operating far from our shores are now rolling off the line at an increasing rate into the hands of the Australian Navy. This announcement is yet another landmark moment that underscores Australia is a world leader in the development of autonomous undersea capabilities. It also underscores the Albanese Government’s commitment to supporting our sovereign defence industry and a future made in Australia. The Albanese Government is committed to building a strong sovereign industrial base that delivers advanced capability for Defence while creating highly skilled jobs for Australians.”