Unmanned Surface Vehicles Market Size & Outlook, 2026-2034

Unmanned Surface Vehicles Market Overview

The global unmanned surface vehicles (USV) market size is valued at USD 764.3 million in 2025 and is estimated to reach USD 2,392.5 million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 13.2% during the forecast period. Consistent growth of the market is supported by the increasing adoption of autonomous and remotely operated maritime systems for defense surveillance, oceanographic research, and commercial applications. The integration of advanced sensors, communication networks, and AI-driven navigation technologies enhances mission efficiency, reduces operational risks, and drives the global demand for unmanned surface vehicles across both military and civilian sectors.

Key Market Trends & Insights

• North America dominated the market with a revenue share of 36.18% in 2025.
• Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR of 14.05% during the forecast period.
• Based on vehicle type, the Autonomous Surface Vehicles segment held the highest market share of 41.62% in 2025.
• By size, the Medium (2 meters < 24 meters) segment is estimated to register the fastest CAGR growth of 13.85%.
• Based on technological components, the Communication Networks segment dominated the market with the revenue share of 34.27% in 2025.
• By application, the Military and Defense segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate of 13.92% during the forecast period.
• The U.S. dominates the unmanned surface vehicles market, valued at USD 278.6 million in 2024 and reaching USD 309.5 million in 2025.

Table: U.S Unmanned Surface Vehicles Market Size (USD Million)

Source: Straits Research

Market Size & Forecast

• 2025 Market Size: USD 764.3 million
• 2034 Projected Market Size: USD 2,392.5 million
• CAGR (2026-2034): 13.2%
• Dominating Region: North America
• Fastest-Growing Region: Asia Pacific

The USV market encompasses autonomous and remotely operated marine platforms intended for surface operations in defense, commercial, and research applications. These USVs are remotely operated surface vehicles, autonomous surface vehicles, semi-autonomous systems, and waterborne autonomous guided vessels, each optimized for particular mission profiles and control levels. USVs come in varying sizes, from small (<2 meters) for shore surveys to large (≥24 meters) boats for long-ocean deployments.

Coupled with cutting-edge technological elements in the form of hull design improvements, propulsion units, onboard sensors, and communication systems, they provide improved situational awareness, navigation, and endurance for missions. Used in a variety of applications such as environmental monitoring, defense and military, scientific research, logistics, inspection of assets, and hydrographic surveying, USVs are responsible for revolutionizing maritime operations through automation, real-time information sharing, and a decrease in human risk in global naval and commercial fleets.

Latest Market Trends

Emergence of Autonomous Maritime Operations

Unmanned surface craft are leading the largest change in maritime operations, from human-oriented vessel control to autonomous and remote-controlled systems. Surface missions historically involved onboard operators for navigation, reconnaissance, and information gathering at the expense of exposing crews to danger and operational constraints. Now, through the combination of AI-driven navigation, live communication networks, and smart routing, USVs can sail independently over vast distances and varied ocean terrain. This move towards autonomy has dramatically improved mission persistence, operational effectiveness, and safety, especially in defense, ocean science research, and offshore energy uses.

Expansion of Dual-Use Maritime Technologies

USV technologies, previously limited to naval and defense operations, are now expanding rapidly into commercial, scientific, and environmental applications. Technological advancements in modular hull design, sensor payload flexibility, and data transmission technologies allow a single platform to support a variety of sectors from hydrographic surveying and port monitoring to logistics and offshore asset tracking. Dual-use dexterity is transforming procurement policies, spurring collaboration between defense contractors, academia, and private operators to pool technology development expenses while expanding commercial applicability.

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Market Driver

Growing Naval Modernization and Maritime Security Expenditures

Military forces globally are largely investing more in unmanned and autonomous systems in order to upgrade maritime surveillance, reconnaissance, and border guard capabilities. The United States, the United Kingdom, China, India, and Japan are accelerating the purchase of unmanned surface vehicles as part of naval modernization. For instance, the U.S. Department of Defense FY2025 budget earmarked a significant rise in funding for unmanned maritime platforms under its Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) program in lieu of large and medium USV development. This growing interest in autonomous maritime security assets is a leading factor contributing to ongoing market growth.

Market Restraint

Sparse Maritime Communication Infrastructure in Remote Oceans

One of the major market restraints in the unmanned surface vehicles market is the absence of strong maritime communication networks in large oceanic expanses. USV operation relies significantly on continuous satellite and broadband connections for navigation, control, and data exchange. Nonetheless, much of the world's oceans, especially in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, remain underserved with limited satellite visibility and bandwidth. More than 45% of the world's maritime zones have intermittent or low-speed connectivity, the ITU reports. This infrastructure limitation hinders real-time control, data relay, and mission reliability, particularly in long-endurance or deep-sea missions.

Market Opportunity

Increased Commercial Demand for Port and Coastal Automation

Increased movement toward autonomous port operations and coastal management systems is creating new growth prospects for unmanned surface vehicles. As the world's shipping ports strive to enhance safety, efficiency, and environmental compliance, USVs are being used for harbor monitoring, debris cleanup, and underwater inspection. Their continuous operation in busy maritime areas allows port authorities and logistics providers to automate repetitive inspections and optimize operations. This shift toward intelligent coastal infrastructure is creating significant demand for mid-size, sensor-tipped USVs that can link with the current maritime management systems.

Regional Analysis

North America dominated the market for unmanned surface vehicles in 2025, taking 36.18% of the total market. This is driven by huge defense procurement initiatives, advanced maritime research centers, and strong investments in autonomous naval solutions. The region's early adoption of unmanned surface platforms for surveillance operations, mine countermeasures, and data collection missions has solidified its dominant position. Apart from this, partnerships between defense companies, research institutions, and marine technology firms are also ensuring constant innovation in propulsion, autonomy, and control systems, which is propelling additional growth in the market across the U.S. and Canada.

The U.S. market for unmanned surface vessels is expanding rapidly with the support of strategic modernization initiatives and expanding utilization of autonomous fleets for naval and littoral operations. Major shipyards and technology businesses are investing in USV programs that can provide scalability, expanding situational awareness, ocean mapping, and reconnaissance capabilities. Rising interest in reducing human risk at sea in high-threat zones and rising adoption of USVs for inspection of offshore energy infrastructure and environmental monitoring are fueling domestic demand. In addition, federal investments in autonomous vessel integration trials and long-endurance testing have made the U.S. a world-class center of innovation for surface autonomy solutions.

Asia Pacific Market Insights

Asia Pacific is becoming the region with the highest growth, expected to achieve a CAGR of 14.05% during 2026–2034. Expansion is led mainly by maritime nations including China, Japan, South Korea, and India that are enhancing their investments in oceanographic studies, coastal monitoring, and autonomous port operations. Regional shipbuilding technologies and public–private partnerships in developing AI-based navigation and communications are also driving adoption. Increased demand for real-time ocean information and autonomous security patrols in strategic seas is also driving mass procurement of USVs throughout the region.

China's unmanned surface vehicles market is experiencing robust growth because of accelerated naval modernization and industrial-scale marine operations automation. The increasing focus of the nation on intelligent port infrastructure and unmanned maritime logistics has spawned the use of sophisticated USVs for cargo inspection, data relay, and hydrography mapping. Additionally, domestic producers are constructing low-cost, modular platforms specifically designed for use in defense as well as commercial applications to make them widely accessible to industries. These trends are propelling China to the status of regional leader and major exporter in the global unmanned surface vehicle market.

Regional Market share (%) in 2025

Source: Straits Research

Europe Unmanned Surface Vehicles Market Insights

Europe is witnessing robust expansion in the unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) market through large-scale seaborne automation initiatives and joint R&D projects aimed at enhancing autonomous navigation as well as ocean observation. The market is supported by solid cross-border partnerships among shipbuilders, robotics, and oceanographic research institutes that accelerate innovation in vessel autonomy as well as multi-mission adaptability. Moreover, increasing use of USVs for North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean environmental surveillance in the context of pollution monitoring, offshore wind farm inspection, and seabed mapping is increasing demand in research and commercial uses.

Sustainable maritime innovation emphasis in Germany is driving its unmanned surface vehicles growth market. Integration of USVs into smart port administration is driving growth. The nation's robotics and shipbuilding industries are developing sensor fusion technology, collision avoidance, and hybrid propulsion system to meet industrial as well as environmental needs. The German research teams are collaborating with universities and maritime research institutions to develop interoperable controls for enabling autonomous fleets to travel safely along congested waterways. These programs, combined with growing use for offshore renewable energy inspection and inland waterway monitoring, are establishing Germany as a leading European hub for unmanned surface vehicle design and deployment.

Latin America Market Insights

Latin America USVs market is growing steadily due to growing coastal surveillance needs and marine resource management plans in nations such as Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. Offshore oil and gas exploration in the region is also initiating the use of unmanned surface platforms for subsea inspection, spill detection, and asset monitoring. Small-scale USV research projects by regional universities and technology start-ups aiming at cost-efficient survey and mapping solutions suitable for nearshore environments further increase access to autonomous maritime systems.

Brazil's market for unmanned surface vehicles is expanding with the country developing its offshore exploration and environmental monitoring capacities. Domestic shipyards and marine robotics firms are producing small and mid-size USVs for oceanographic data collection, coastal defense, and harbor monitoring. The technologies support national sustainability objectives and are integrated into Brazil's blue economy policy, which facilitates safer and data-supported operations within maritime industries. The growing application of unmanned platforms for hydrological mapping and ecosystem monitoring is a sign of Brazil's evolving role as a regional power in autonomous ocean technology.

Middle East and Africa Market Insights

The Middle East and Africa region is witnessing growing adoption of unmanned surface vehicles for maritime domain awareness, border protection, and coastal resource management. Countries with extensive coastlines are investing in USV fleets to enhance situational awareness and optimize hydrographic surveying of key waterways. Integration with port logistics, ocean research, and national security systems is advancing steadily, proving growing confidence in autonomous marine operations.

The UAE market of unmanned surface vehicles is gaining momentum through close collaboration among local defense industries and sea technology developers. The country is focusing on leveraging USVs for intelligence gathering, mine hunting, and offshore facilities inspection in order to improve security and efficiency within its seas. Foreign manufacturers and research entities strategic partnerships are facilitating the transfer of the latest autonomy and communications technologies, making the UAE a regional hub for Middle East and Africa maritime robotics.

Vehicle Type Insights

The Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) segment led the market with a 41.62% revenue share in 2025. This is because of increasing demand for smart maritime systems that can conduct long-endurance missions with or without human presence onboard. Governments and defense agencies in the U.S., China, and the U.K. are rapidly employing ASVs to conduct naval reconnaissance, ocean surveillance, and mine countermeasures.

The Remotely Operated Surface Vehicles (ROSVs) market is expected to record the highest CAGR of around 13.94% over the forecast period. Demand is fueled by increasing application in offshore oil and gas inspection, monitoring of subsea cables, and gathering environmental data, where human real-time control is needed by operators in complicated marine conditions.

By Vehicle Type Market Share (%), 2025

Source: Straits Research

Size Insights

The Large (≥ 24 meters) segment was the market leader with a revenue share of more than 39% in 2025. This leadership is mainly attributed to growing adoption of large unmanned surface vehicles for applications in naval defense, ocean surveillance, and anti-submarine warfare. Defense organizations of key economies like the U.S., China, and the U.K. are utilizing large USVs for long-endurance operations, sophisticated payload capabilities, and multi-sensor integration.

The Medium (2 meters < 24 meters) segment is expected to achieve the highest CAGR of approximately 13.85% during the forecast period. Growth within this segment is driven by its capability across commercial and scientific uses such as hydrographic surveys, environmental monitoring, and offshore infrastructure inspection.

Technological Components Insights

Communication Networks segment led the market in 2025 with a revenue share of 34.27%. This dominance is contributed by the incorporation of real-time data exchange and control systems for providing unbroken coordination between remote operators and unmanned surface vehicles.

The Onboard Sensors segment is projected to experience the quickest expansion in the forecast period, driven by increasing application of multi-sensor fusion functionalities in environmental surveillance, surveillance, and hydrographic surveys.

Application Insights

The Defense and Military application is anticipated to achieve the highest growth rate of 13.92% due to increased investments in autonomous patrolling operations, naval modernization, and maritime surveillance. Surging deployment of unmanned surface vehicles for coastal protection, mine countermeasures, and intelligence gathering is driving demand from defense agencies worldwide. As nations fortify sea border defenses and enhance shipboard automation capabilities, autonomous surface platform deployment for multi-domain defense activities continues to expand, propelling swift expansion in this application segment.

Competitive Landscape

The global unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) market is fairly fragmented by the presence of established defense contractors, maritime engineering firms, and specialized automation technology providers. A few companies have a strong market position because of their strong technology prowess, strong working network, and long-term association with naval and research institutions.

The major companies operating in the market include ECA Group, Elbit Systems Ltd., Fugro, and others. These companies are competitively competing to construct and reinforce their market position on the strengths of product development, advancements in autonomous fleet capabilities, and strategic alliances. Industry leaders are also focusing on implementing sophisticated communication networks, propulsion efficiency, and multi-mission modularity in their USV platforms. In addition, defense agency collaborations, maritime officials, and energy operators are supporting these businesses to make deeper inroads in civilian and military applications, driving continued innovation and global expansion.

ZeroUSV: An emerging market player

ZeroUSV, a British marine autonomy company, has made quick strides in unmanned surface vehicles (USV) industry with the development of fully autonomous platforms for over-the-horizon missions without any operator.

• In March 2025, ZeroUSV launched its first “Oceanus12” vessel described as the world’s first charter-model fully autonomous uncrewed surface vessel with a cruising range of over 2,500 nautical miles.

Therefore, ZeroUSV became a prominent player in the international USV market, using a new business model (charter fleet) and extended-range autonomy to differentiate in commercial and defense markets.

List of key players in Unmanned Surface Vehicles Market

1. ECA Group
2. Elbit Systems Ltd.
3. Fugro
4. L3Harris Technologies
5. Kongsberg Maritime
6. Textron Systems
7. Thales Group
8. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK
9. Teledyne Technologies
10. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
11. Saab AB
12. Saildrone, Inc.
13. Sea-Kit International
14. Maritime Robotics
15. Ocean Infinity
16. Seafloor Systems
17. Boeing
18. General Dynamics Mission Systems
19. Xocean
20. Zhuhai Yunzhou Intelligent
21. Others

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Strategic Initiatives

• June 2025: Exail secured a contract to deliver five of its DriX H-8 uncrewed surface vessels for ISR missions the largest order to date for the platform, underscoring its growing naval adoption.
• April 2025: L3Harris Technologies (via its SAMI-L3Harris JV) and Zamil Shipyards signed an MOU to develop a “Saudi-made” USV fleet, targeting several modular variants for surveillance and deterrence missions.
• January 2025: Kongsberg Maritime delivered its first “REACH REMOTE 1” — a 24-metre unmanned surface vessel designed for crew-less offshore operations, marking a major milestone in commercial USV deployments.
• April 2025: Textron Systems was awarded a up to USD 100 million contract over three years by NAVSEA for software support activity (SSA) and payload integration for mine countermeasures (MCM) USV craft.