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Australian Navy Fields Ghost Shark XL-AUV as New Maritime Autonomous Unit Enters Service

Australia activated its Maritime Autonomous Systems Unit on April 14, 2026, bringing the Ghost Shark program into operational service and accelerating its shift to uncrewed naval warfare. The move delivers deployable autonomous strike and surveillance capabilities, strengthening Australia’s deterrence posture across the Indo-Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy’s MASU consolidates Project SEA 1200 programs, integrating Ghost Shark, Bluebottle, and Speartooth into a dedicated force with its own control center and deployable teams. The unit is built to move fast, turning prototypes into operational assets, developing doctrine, and pushing autonomous systems into real-world missions, marking Australia’s transition from trials to frontline capability. Read more...

Australia’s new Maritime Autonomous Systems Unit shows the Royal Australian Navy is moving from testing to operational use of Ghost Shark, Bluebottle and Speartooth, turning uncrewed maritime systems into a real force element for persistent surveillance, undersea strike and distributed deterrence (Picture source: Australian MoD).






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