Australia unveils its answer to China’s terrifying ‘robot wolves’ pictured at recent military parade
A fleet of ‘Ghost Shark’ ocean drones will be used by the Australian Defence Force to counter China’s autonomous warfare dominance.
Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the federal government will spend $1.7billion on acquiring dozens of the unmanned submarines for the Royal Navy, which will complement the RAAF’s ‘Ghost Bat’ aircraft drones.
Developed by US startup Anduril Industries and the ADF, Marles described the autonomous undersea vehicles as the ‘highest tech capability in the world’.
China displayed its military might before a gathering of world leaders at a parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square earlier this month on September 3.
An estimated 10,000 soldiers paraded before nuclear weapons, fighter jets, tanks, directed energy weapons, and hypersonic missiles.
However, it was the country’s array of land, air and sea drones, including its ‘robot wolves’, that raised the eyebrows of a number of Australian military analysts.
The spindly-legged land drones were curiously mounted on moving vehicles rather than walking, but were a stark reminder of the country’s technological innovation.
The first public test flight of Australia’s Ghost Bat was in the Northern Territory two days after China’s parade and was followed a few days later by the announcement of funding for the Ghost Shark fleet.
Australia will spend $1.7billion on acquiring dozens of ‘Ghost Sharks’ submarine drones
China showcased its ‘Robot Wolves’ during a military parade in Tiananmen Square earlier this month. Critics pointed out the drones were fixed in place and not autonomously moving
An estimated 10,000 soldiers joined the parade in Tiananmen Square on September 3
Australia has long been considered a laggard on drone and anti-drone technologies with some estimates putting China a decade ahead.
It’s a blindspot the Albanese government hopes to address with a $10billion investment over the next decade.
While the precise capabilities of the Ghost Sharks have been kept under wraps, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said they can strike at ‘extremely long distances from the Australian continent’.
The first Ghost Sharks are expected to be in service from January next year.
Spurred on by the unprecedented Chinese naval circumnavigation of Australia in February, the Ghost Shark went from concept to production in just three years.
‘Ghost Shark… can directly address this challenge through coastal defence patrols and area-wide domain awareness powered by artificial intelligence at scale,’ Anduril Industries said in a statement.
Australia has been under increasing pressure from Washington to increase its defence spending but the Ghost Shark fleet will be funded under the existing defence budget, Marles said.
It followed a $1billion investment by the federal government announced in June for the MQ-28A Ghost Bat Drones.
Marles described the ‘Ghost Shark’ as the ‘highest tech capability in the world’ at the Royal Navy’s Garden Island base last Wednesday
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat Drone is known as a ‘loyal wingman’ for its ability to supplement crewed aircrafts
Members of the People’s Liberation Army stand as the unmanned operations group displays the AJX002 unmanned underwater vehicles during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, September 3, 2025
Described as a ‘loyal wingman’ for their ability to supplement crewed aircrafts, according to Conroy, the Ghost Bat can turn a single fighter jet into a ‘fighting team’.
The government is expected to spend hundreds of millions on getting the Ghost Bat fighting-ready on top of its $1billion investment.
Military analysts say the war in Ukraine has highlighted the use case for uncrewed autonomous systems both for strikes and tactical intelligence gathering.
Despite welcoming the latest investments, military experts have said the country has a long way to go before it can be considered world-leading.
Australia separately plans to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines under by the early 2030s under the AUKUS agreement.
That agreement is currently under review by the Trump administration, which has asked its allies to increase their defence spend to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
Australia’s currently sits at about 2 per cent.
