Palmer Luckey's Anduril wins $1.7b Australian Navy contract
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The news: US defence startup Anduril has won a USD1.2 billion ($1.7 billion) contract with the Royal Australian Navy to manufacture a fleet of its autonomous Ghost Shark submarines over the next five years.
Anduril began building the Ghost Shark submarines in collaboration with the Navy in 2022. As Capital Brief has reported, it has expanded its footprint this year ahead of the submarine going into full production.
The context: Anduril was launched in 2017 by Luckey, who previously invented the Oculus VR technology that Meta bought in 2014 for USD2 billion. The company's goal is to outpace incumbent defence contractors like Lockheed Martin by developing autonomous, AI-powered weapons that can be improved quickly via software updates.
The startup, last valued at USD30.5 billion, was in 2022 awarded $140 million alongside the Navy and the Defence Department’s Science and Technology Group (DSTG) to develop prototype autonomous submarines.
After a prototype unit hit the seas last year, the Department dropped another $20 million towards a production facility to make it more than just a trial.
What they said: “The Ghost Shark is a world-leading platform made right here in Australia," said Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. “Over the next five years and beyond the Ghost Shark will equip Navy with the intelligence, surveillance and strike capabilities it needs in an increasingly complex strategic environment.”
“This is not the end of the journey," added Anduril Australia CEO David Goodrich. "We are already working intensely on the next wave of cutting-edge autonomous capabilities, and we are committed to delivering the technologies that will safeguard Australia and strengthen our allies and partners in the years ahead.”
Our journalists are working to update this briefing.
The source: Anduril
