Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)s Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application (Defense, Commercial), By Type (Surface, Sub-Surface), By System (Propulsion, Communication), By Mode of Operation (Autonomous Surface Vehicle, Remotely Operated Surface Vehicle), By Size (Small <7 Meters, Medium 7 to 11 Meters), By Endurance (Less than 100 hours, 100 to 500 hours), By Hull Type (Kayak, Catamaran) and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028

Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are water-borne vessels that are capable of operating on the surface of the water without any human onboard operators. USVs are more versatile and less costly than full manned vessels and mostly used for a wide range of marine applications. The USVs are equipped with a variety of systems such as radar, sonar, imaging systems, ISR systems, environmental sensors, dataloggers, weapons payloads, or even a small unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). It also includes sensor payloads, which are used to examine undersea cables and classify a variety of chemicals in seawater and various other applications.

There are different propulsion methods used in USVs that comprises of petrol engines, water jets, and electric outboard motors. The USVs are powered by waves or by wind energy and even partly or fully by solar energy. Such USVs are capable of missions lasting several months without needing to return to base.

Key Market Driver -

Rise in demand for Ocean data Mapping, ISR missions for naval operations and water quality monitoring, is expected to drive the growth of this market.

Key Market Restraint -

Presence of low cost substitutes such as unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) hampers the growth of this market.

The USVs are used for a wide variety of military and commercial applications. Military applications include border and littoral zone patrol, submarine hunting, minesweeping, ISR, offensive capabilities, and seaborne targets. Similarly, commercial applications of USVs are oceanography, exploration and environmental sciences, and the oil and gas industry.

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) is the current trend in unmanned naval vehicles that improves the naval combat systems operations by combining software processes for smarter C2, that is Command and Control applications. These technologies can also be used in naval Combat Management Systems (CMS) for better targeting and mapping of enemy assets.

Market Segmentation:

Globally, the unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have been segmented by application, by type, by the system, by mode of operation, by size, by endurance, by hull type, and by region. By application, the market is segmented into defense and commercial. The defense segment includes ISR, Mine Countermeasure, firefighting, maritime security, electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and maritime interdiction operation support, among others. The commercial segment comprises of oceanography, oil & gas exploration, hydrographic survey, environmental monitoring, seabed mapping, and others. The defense segment is expected to show significant growth in this market as there is an increasing demand for USVs for maritime monitoring and defense operations. The rise in demand for ocean data mapping, ISR missions, which is likely to fuel the market growth in this segment.

By type, the market is divided into the surface and sub-surface. The surface segment is dominating as there is an increasing demand for vehicles for commercial applications and defense for ISR activities, maritime surveys, firefighting, and others. The sub-surface segment shows significant growth due to the rise in adoption vehicles for applications such as seafloor mapping, climate monitoring, an inspection of bridges, and other infrastructure.

By system, the market is segmented propulsion, payload, component, communication, chassis material, and software. The component segment is the dominating system segment as it includes the motor, navigation, guidance, and control (NGC) system, and other hardware that drives the growth of the segment. The communication segment witness significant growth due to the introduction of advanced wifi and satellite systems for long-range operations, propels the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

By mode of operation, the market is segmented into remotely operated and autonomous. The autonomous segment shows significant growth due to the USVs are used for defense and commercial operations without human intervention. The changing atmosphere of these vehicles is sensed by sensing devices, that information then transmitted to remotely operated human operators that drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.  

By size, the market is segmented into a small, medium, large, and extra-large USV sizes. Large USVs segment shows significant growth due to increasing demand for large USVs for defense and commercial operations such as ISR activities, combat operations, cargo transportation.

By endurance, the market is classified into less than 100 hours, 100 to 500 hours, 500 to 1000 hours, and more than 1000 hours. Less than 100 hours is the dominating segment in the global USVs market — the adoption of these USVs for maximum data collection in defense and commercial applications. More than 1000 hours segment witness significant growth, as its commonly used defense users for mine countermeasures, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance(ISR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and others.

By hull type, the market is segmented into the single hull, twin hulls, triple hulls, and rigid inflatable hull. Kayak, a single-hull type segment, is the dominating segment in the global USVs market. An increase in the adoption of single-hull type due to their convenient loading capabilities and mounting drive the growth of the single-hull segment. The twin hulls segment also shows significant growth due to greater system stability.

Key Players Covered:

The major companies in the global unmanned surface vehicle (USV) market include Teledyne Technologies (The U.S.), ASV Global (The U.K.), Elbit Systems (Israel), SeaRobotics (The U.S.), Atlas Elektronik (Germany), Textron Inc. (US), ECA Group (France), 5G International (US), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (Israel), Israel Aerospace Industries (Israel), Maritime Robotics (Norway), and Liquid Robotics (US), and among others.

Key Insights

• New Advancements in Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)


• Number of Products, Key Countries, 2018


• New Product Launches, Key Players

Regional Analysis:

Geographically, the unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the rest of the world. Europe holds a significant market share in the unmanned surface vehicle market and is estimated to grow at a significant rate during the forecasting period. The growth is attributed to the increasing demand for unmanned surface vehicles by navies for mine countermeasures (MCM), ISR activities, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and oceanographic applications. Moreover, the presence of key manufacturers, such as the ASV (UK), Atlas Elektronik (Germany), and ECA Group (France), are in the region. North America also shows significant growth due to higher defense expenditure and growing demand for commercial applications. The presence of key manufacturers such as 5G International (The U.S.), Liquid Robotics (The U.S.), Teledyne Technologies (The U.S.) drives the growth of the USVs market across the region.

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The Asia Pacific also shows a significant growth in the global unmanned surface vehicles market due to increasing defense expenditure from countries such as China and India. The rise in demand for USVs in military and commercial applications in the Asia Pacific drives the growth of the market. Middle East witness moderate growth due to increasing demand from countries such as UAE, Israel, and others for oil & gas exploration applications.

Segmentation

Unmanned Surface vehicles (USVs) Industry Developments

• In July 2018, ASV Global entered into a partnership with Sonardyne International Ltd., the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), and SeeByte to deliver a long endurance, multi-vehicle, autonomous survey solution.


• In May 2018, Teledyne Marine and Research Products Development Company (RPDC) signed an agreement to collaborate on global commercialization of new technologies developed within Saudi Arabia.


• In January 2018, Textron Systems signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).