An Australian government release dated 19 October disclosed development and integration of modular payloads for the Ghost Shark and Speartooth uncrewed underwater vehicles and BlueBottle uncrewed surface vessel. The announcement came ahead of Maritime Big Play Pacific, an AUKUS exercise near San Diego, where the government says some of the payloads will participate. It does not identify which payload-platform combinations will be demonstrated.
The payload work
The ministers list remote delivery of supply caches, sea mines and uncrewed aerial vehicles as examples of missions that modular payloads could support. These examples describe the programme's range; the release does not say each example has been tested on each of the three vehicles. It says the Royal Australian Navy, Defence Science and Technology Group, Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator and industry are working on payloads and enabling systems, following tests with AUKUS partners in previous exercise iterations.
Programme status
The government restates plans to invest up to A$5.8 billion over a decade in autonomous and uncrewed undersea warfare, including A$1.7 billion for a Ghost Shark fleet. Those programme figures are not new awards for the payloads announced here. A minister says Ghost Shark vehicles are reaching the Navy at an increasing rate, but the release gives no number of accepted systems, payload qualification results or completed outcome from the current exercise. Subsequent trial reports and configuration-specific acceptance evidence will show which of these modular payloads becomes an operational capability. The site's Ghost Shark, Speartooth and BlueBottle profiles distinguish the vehicles and their separate evidence bases.
Publication history
- — Added Australia's revealed payload integration across underwater and surface systems without inferring completed tests, universal compatibility or new payload awards.
Suggest a correction to this entry
Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.
- Australian Defence Ministers, undersea warfare payload announcement, 19 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)Government programme announcement
