Anduril to break ground in RI Feb 2025 Anduril to expand robotic submarine lineup in RI Mary Serreze – Reporter, Providence Business First Dec 11, 2024
Defense tech innovator Anduril Industries Inc. plans to manufacture dozens of school bus-sized robotic submarines at its yet-to-be-built plant at Quonset Point.
The Dive-XL line adds to the smaller Dive-LD line that Anduril previously announced it would produce in Rhode Island. A prototype of the extra-large UUV (uncrewed undersea vehicle) is now being tested off the coast of California, with plans to send it on a 1,000-mile undersea mission.
The "highly configurable" and modular Dive-XL is the commercial version of the Ghost Shark robotic submarine that Anduril is developing with the Royal Australian Navy. It can be outfitted to serve a variety of missions for commercial or military customers. It is packed with electronic sensing and communications gear and can be set up with custom payloads. The Dive-XL is designed to fit inside a 40-foot shipping container or a C-17 cargo plane. When unpacked, it can quickly be expanded by adding additional modular compartments.
The California-based Anduril says it has confidence in both the military and commercial market, and sees the U.S. Navy as a potential customer. The Navy has shown interest in underwater drones to create a “hybrid fleet,” but procurement of robotic submarines is still in its infancy. Anduril said it is well-positioned to compete because its UUVs can be produced affordably and at scale. In contrast, the U.S. Navy's traditional submarine programs are famously behind schedule and over-budget.
Anduril plans to break ground at its manufacturing plant at Quonset Point on the Narragansett Bay sometime in February. It has won a suite of state tax breaks to support the $8.3 million factory build, which is slated to open in fourth-quarter 2025.
The company previously said it chose Rhode Island due to support from state officials, a skilled workforce, logistical help from Quonset Business Park, and proximity to Quincy, Massachusetts, where it runs its marine-engineering office.