Ocean News & Technology (ON&T), a leading trade publication reporting on the ocean technology industry since 1981, today revealed details of the magazine’s new market study, Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) Market Summary and Forecast, 2021-2025. The report cites the rapid adoption of unmanned systems for military applications alongside the recent advances in blue tech commercial development as key drivers of this emerging multi-billion-dollar industry.

“The growing acceptance of USVs for military deployments—whether for mine countermeasures (MCM) or more offensive armed campaigns—is the main thrust for the USV market right now,” said Ed Freeman, ON&T’s Managing Editor. “With this continued level of investment in automated marine systems development and integration, our analysis indicates that the defense market for USVs could grow to surpass US$9 billion from 2021-2025.”

USV technology, be it for defense, commercial or scientific applications, has advanced from prototyping to operational use in the last few years. While the market remains in its infancy, mainstream usage (prototyping to production), new production contracts (measurable demand), notable mergers and acquisitions, and new or expanded production facilities are all hallmarks of a market with a very prosperous future.

The report also focuses on the buoyant demand for USVs from commercial markets, in which uncrewed platforms are increasingly popular for marine survey data collection.

“While private survey companies still represent a relatively small slice of the USV market when compared to the defense sector, we have seen a pronounced uptick in the use of USVs for a range of multidisciplinary campaigns over the last twelve months, as offshore operators look to capitalize on autonomy-inspired practices in the pursuit of ever safer, practical, and carbon-conscious efficiencies at sea,” Freeman added.

For more information about the report, click here.