Australia says unmanned submarine to carry mines, aerial drones

Australia plans to arm its fleet of underwater drones, announcing that its unmanned submarines will be able to deploy sea mines or aerial drones.The Ghost Shark submarine will be able to deploy up to 12 sea mines, or drones for aerial surveillance and attack, or carry equipment for special forces, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced in Sydney on Oct 19.The submarine and the Altius aerial drone are both built by US defence firm Anduril Industries. The government announced last year it would spend almost A$2 billion (S$1.78 billion) to buy Ghost Shark drones capable of intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike operations.“Ghost Sharks capable of a range of complex missions operating far from our shores are now rolling off the line at an increasing rate into the hands of the Australian Navy,” Conroy said in a statement. As well as the Ghost Shark, the government is investing in other unmanned systems.Conroy last week announced more funding for Bluebottle drones, smaller surveillance vessels that can remain at sea for long periods. Some will be supplied to Fiji to help Pacific nations track and interdict drug shipments from South America, an increasingly serious problem in recent years.Australia will also deploy a towed-sonar array on the Bluebottles, allowing them to search for submarines, Conroy said on Oct 19.Some of these systems will take part in an exercise this week near San Diego, the government said in a separate statement. Australia has begun investing heavily in naval drones to patrol its vast maritime territory and offset a shrinking crewed fleet. Because of troubled shipbuilding programmes, the number of surface ships is declining as older vessels retire, while the country will not start commissioning replacements until the next decade. BLOOMBERG