Australia unveils new modular payloads for the Ghost Shark and Speartooth underwater drones: mines, supply caches, drones
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Published in SI: . Updated: .
Underwater drones are becoming universal platforms on which different modules can be mounted.
Australia's Department of Defence announced modular payloads for the Ghost Shark (Anduril) and Speartooth (C2 Robotics) underwater vehicles and the Bluebottle (Ocius) uncrewed surface vessel: they will be able to remotely deliver supplies, sea mines and drones. According to Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, the minelaying module holds 12 mines, and the drone module carries Anduril's Altius aircraft. Some of the payloads will be tested at the Maritime Big Play Pacific exercise now under way in the US, as part of AUKUS. The unveiling came five months after Australia, the US and the UK agreed to develop such payloads.
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