The Albanese Government’s 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) has confirmed that C2 Robotics’ Speartooth Large Uncrewed Underwater Vessel will be part of the Australian Defence Force’s force structure.
The new 2026 Defence Integrated Investment Program that supports the 2026 NDS states that in addition to acquiring an Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vessel, the Government will invest in “a fleet of large uncrewed underwater vehicles – known as Speartooth. Speartooth is capable of conducting shorter range intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike and logistics operations at sea. Due to its smaller size and lower unit cost, Speartooth is optimised for seabed warfare and agile undersea operations, reaching areas Ghost Shark cannot.”
Mr Troy Duggan, C2 Robotics’ CEO, said, “We’d like to congratulate the Government on its recognition that affordable, attritable autonomous systems such as Speartooth are now an indispensable element of successful militaries and its decision to invest in them.”
Speartooth is designed to generate force-mass in the maritime domain as affordably as possible. Its purpose is to deliver military payloads over strategically relevant ranges at scale and with a high degree of stealth, reliability and autonomy. Speartooth has also been designed to be payload agnostic so that it can rapidly integrate whatever capabilities its operators require.
The Australian Department of Defence recently announced that it has formed the Maritime Autonomous Systems Unit to ‘accelerate the development, integration and operational employment of maritime autonomous systems.’ The MASU will operate Speartooth alongside the Ghost Shark Extra-large UUV and the Bluebottle Uncrewed Surface Vessel.
Mr Duggan noted that, “Australia will have a world-leading maritime autonomous systems capability, with three unique systems designed and built in Australia. We’re looking forward to working with Defence, and Australian industry to introduce Speartooth into service and extend Australia’s leadership in this field.”
The confirmation that Speartooth will be part of the ADF follows C2 Robotics’ announcement that foreign militaries have begun to acquire Speartooth and is increasingly being recognised as a disruptive world-leading, low-cost military platform that can be built at scale.
The NDS also announced $12-15 billion in funding for uncrewed and autonomous systems over the next decade including $2.2-$3.1 billion investment in smaller uncrewed systems across all domains.
C2 Robotics is well-placed to provide solutions for the ADF in this space also. Mr Duggan noted that, “C2 Robotics has specialised for many years in R&D in the realm of ‘the small, the smart, and the many’, the systems that have repeatedly demonstrated their importance in conflicts in Ukraine and more recently in the Middle East.’
C2 Robotics has developed counter-drone systems based on off-the-shelf drones – providing an affordable long-range strike system as well as bespoke compact systems. The company has successfully demonstrated its counter-drone systems at ADF test events achieving high intercept rates against representative threat drones. The company also manufactures the PackMule Uncrewed Ground Vehicle for Australian and overseas markets.
About C2 Robotics
C2 Robotics is a leader in robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence based in Melbourne, Australia. Innovation, rapid concept development and iterative prototype fielding is at their core, with a key focus on developing innovative systems across the maritime, land and air domains. Their team is comprised of a group of highly experienced industry veterans and a leadership team that includes the founders of previous highly successful defence and aerospace companies in the fields of AI and robotics.