Australia’s uncrewed planes, subs and drones could appeal to Asian navies: Analysts

SYDNEY – Australia is embarking on a multi-billion-dollar plan to develop military drones and other uncrewed vehicles such as combat aircraft and submarines that analysts say are useful in choke points and contested waters and are likely to appeal to Asian navies.

The federal government released a new defence plan on April 16 worth up to A$15 billion (S$13.75 billion) over the next decade for uncrewed and autonomous systems, noting that drones had played a significant role in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Uncrewed systems involving air, ground and maritime can strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and offer precision strike capabilities without onboard personnel.

The plan will invest in developing equipment in Australia focused on air, maritime and land operations. Australia has already developed sophisticated uncrewed submarines and planes and aims to become a world leader in autonomous systems.

Analysts in Australia welcomed the decision to invest in drones and uncrewed systems. The country, they added, has been too focused on acquiring costly, large-scale hardware.

This includes nuclear-powered submarines, which it is acquiring through a security pact with the US and Britain, and new frigates, which it is buying from Japan.

Dr Marcus Hellyer, head of research at Strategic Analysis Australia, said countries such as Australia, which are now relatively secure, must invest in drone and uncrewed systems production so they can quickly scale up output if a conflict erupts or regional tensions increase.

“Slowly, we are starting to invest in the sort of drones that we are seeing in Ukraine and that are used by the Iranians,” he told The Straits Times.

“You need to have the industrial base ticking over at peacetime at a rate that you can afford, but that can rapidly scale up in a time of crisis. We are getting closer to that.”

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government will boost defence spending by A$53 billion over the next decade to address rising global uncertainty, saying that countries in all regions are increasingly resorting to force.

Australia is due to spend A$58.4 billion in the year to June 30 on defence, or about 2.03 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). This is up from A$55.5 billion – or 1.99 per cent of GDP – in the previous year.

The new equipment includes an uncrewed combat aircraft – the Ghost Bat – that can travel 3,700km at up to 1,000kmh and is able to partner with crewed aircraft and use air-to-air missiles.

Australia is reportedly hoping to sell hundreds of the aircraft to Germany. Boeing Australia, which developed the Ghost Bat, partnered with Germany’s Rheinmetall in March to work on offering it to Germany for use by 2029. The cost has been estimated at A$10 million to A$15 million each.

A Boeing spokesman told ST: “We have received interest from multiple international customers. (We) stand ready to bring this game-changing capability to allied air forces around the world.”

While the company would not say which countries are keen or whether any are in Asia, analysts said militaries in Asia are likely to be particularly interested in Australia’s new uncrewed maritime vehicles.

The Australian government announced in 2025 that it was spending A$1.7 billion on a fleet of Ghost Shark underwater autonomous vehicles, which is effectively an uncrewed submarine. Anduril Australia is developing it.

A shorter-range underwater vehicle – the Speartooth – can be used for surveillance, strike and logistics operations. Its developer, Melbourne-based C2 Robotics, revealed on May 1 that it was set to sell the vehicle to the US and indicated it will soon announce further sales to European countries.

Dr Hellyer said Australian governments were increasingly looking to expand defence exports because this could help to “maintain that scale of production that you need to maintain in peacetime”.

Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy told reporters on April 21 that the country planned to boost exports of its drones and uncrewed systems, as long as any deals meet its defence export requirements.

Australia does not export items that could affect its security, breach its international obligations or be used to develop weapons of mass destruction.

“All the capabilities that we’re developing are options that we might consider for export,” Mr Conroy said.

Australian defence expert Andrew Davies told ST that Australia has largely been developing high-end drones – rather than cheaper, mass-produced systems – that are likely to appeal to countries with more “sophisticated” militaries, such as Singapore.

Such drones have features such as longer endurance and advanced sensors.

Dr Davies, a former Defence Department official, said Australia’s uncrewed maritime vehicles could appeal to countries near choke points such as the Strait of Malacca.

“Any country with important choke points is likely to be interested, like Indonesia,” he said.

“You can send them to places that are busy and contested, where you would not necessarily want to send a manned submarine.”

Dr Hellyer also said Australia’s uncrewed maritime vehicles are likely to interest South-east Asian countries with contested waterways or archipelagos that require extensive surveillance.

“South-east Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia would be interested as they have contested (exclusive economic zones) where they need to conduct surveillance, particularly due to Chinese incursions,” he said.

“Many Asian countries are facing demographic pressures and are interested in autonomous systems. These systems do not put humans at risk.”