Growing global demand for autonomous UMV capabilities

The proliferation of unmanned systems in the global defense market continues to have a growing impact on the future of naval warfare. Navies around the globe are increasingly investing in the development and integration of unmanned surface vehicles (USV) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) to create ‘hybrid’ fleet structures in the interest of enhancing survivability, increasing efficiency, and reducing the long-term costs of naval operations. USVs are a new and fast-growing segment of the naval defense market, with steady investment and interest from around the globe due to the multitude of applications for this emerging technology. GlobalData forecasts expenditures in the global UUV market to rise from $379 million in 2023 to $965 million by 2033 as the market continues to surpass its previous records. Demand for military UUVs continues to be driven by the development of autonomous MCM capabilities and the implementation of hybridized fleet initiatives by several nations including China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US. However, the market for USVs continues to far outpace that of UUVs. Demand for military USVs is driven by many of the same factors as for UUVs, with autonomous MCM capabilities and hybrid fleet structures driving demand for USV platforms around the globe.