Deputy PM dodges speculation of AUS-US underwater drone announcement

“Look, we are looking forward to Shangri-La. I'm not going to speculate on what may or may not be announced, or for that matter, what meetings might or may not happen at Shangri-La,” Deputy PM Marles said on May 21, when asked directly if an underwater drone project between the US and Australia is set to be announced.

“The Shangri-La is the most significant gathering of defence ministers in our region, that's one of the most significant gatherings of defence ministers in the world.

“It's my fifth Shangri-La that I'll be attending, and it's a really important moment for us, not only to put Australia's position to the region and the world in respect of our defence posture, but also to engage in bilateral and unilateral meetings with my counterparts, and to discuss a range of matters, and I will probably leave it at that.”

Earlier this month, defence robotics company C2 Robotics announced the commissioning of a Speartooth large uncrewed undersea vehicle to be delivered to the United States.

The delivery and christening via robotic arm, reportedly signal a transition from development into operational service and expansion into international markets for the company. In total, three Speartooth are reportedly being sent to a “large US customer” from C2 Robotics.

The Speartooth LUUV has been designed to deliver scalable, cost-effective undersea capability across intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.