RAN official inspects Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle at Anduril Australia’s Sydney Harbour base. Credit: Dan Gosse Images/© Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence.

Anduril Australia has officially revealed the name of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) future extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV).

It was announced by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) on 14 December.

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Being designed and manufactured in Australia, the RAN’s vehicle has been named ‘Ghost Shark’.

The announcement was made during a ceremony hosted by the company at its Sydney Harbour base in Sydney, Australia on 12 December.

The event also featured a US-made ‘Dive-LD’ autonomous submarine. It will be used as the testbed for the development of Australian undersea vehicles.

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RAN Capability head rear admiral Peter Quinn said: “They have the capacity to remain at sea undetected for very long periods, carry various military payloads and cover very long distances.

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“The vessels will provide militaries with a persistent option for the delivery of underwater effects in high-risk environments, complementing our existing crewed ships and submarines, as well as other future uncrewed surface vessels.”

The new undersea warfare capability, Ghost Shark, is being procured as part of a $100m co-funded arrangement, supported by the Next Generation Technologies Fund.

In May, Anduril Australia announced its collaboration with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for the design, development and delivery of the autonomous robotic undersea warfare vehicle for the RAN.

Under this effort, the company is working together with the RAN and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group to develop three prototypes for the XL-AUVs.

Australian DoD chief scientist professor Tanya Monro said: “By Defence Science and Technology Group collaborating with our industry, we are able to co-develop critical capability that meets our specific needs much faster.”

The company together with the ADF is planning to complete the vehicle related tests and assessments over the next three years in Sydney.