Industry sees opportunity in Australia’s shift to networked undersea warfare
Australia’s Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle. (Photo: Rodney Braithwaite/Australian Government Defence)
Australia’s new defence innovation strategy indicates a shift from platform-centric to network-centric undersea warfare, with Ocius and Anduril Industries pointing to fast-growing opportunities for local industry.
Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) has signalled a shift away from platform-centric undersea procurement, with its 2026 Defence Innovation, Science and Technology Strategy (DISTS) describing a future built around autonomous sensor networks, artificial intelligence-enabled acoustic processing and distributed surveillance.
The Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV) and the SSN-AUKUS submarine programme have grabbed Australian industry attention. However, the DISTS – published by the DoD in July 2026 – reads like a blueprint for an “integrated Defence Innovation, Science and Technology Ecosystem” intended to move technology from research to the warfighter “at the speed of relevance”.
Defence Minister Richard Marles
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