Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market

The global unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) market is projected to grow from USD 5.93 billion in 2025 to USD 8.72 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period. In terms of volume (new deliveries), the market is projected to reach 33,603 units by 2030, rising from 19,092 units in 2024.

The UUV market is advancing as defense organizations, offshore energy operators, and research entities adopt autonomous platforms to reduce operational risk and improve efficiency in complex underwater environments. Demand is reinforced by requirements for high-accuracy seabed mapping, subsea asset inspection, and continuous maritime monitoring. Progress in underwater navigation, endurance, and integrated sensing is broadening use cases and supporting wider deployment across civil and defense domains.

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Major Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Companies Include:

• Kongsberg
• Saab AB
• BAE Systems
• Exail Technologies
• Saipem S.p.A

Some of the major market players include Kongsberg, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., BAE Systems, Oceaneering International, Inc., and Saipem S.p.A. These players have employed various organic and inorganic growth strategies, including collaborations, acquisitions, product launches, partnerships, agreements, and expansions, to enhance their international footprint and capture a significant share of the UUV market. These organic and inorganic strategies have enabled market players to expand across geographies by offering a range of UUVs.

Kongsberg is a Norway-based technology company operating across four business segments: Defence & Aerospace, Maritime, Discovery, and Digital. It develops and supplies advanced systems for defense, maritime operations, energy, and digital industries. The Defence & Aerospace unit provides technologies for command, control, and surveillance, while the Maritime division delivers equipment and automation systems for commercial and naval vessels. The Digital business focuses on data-driven industrial software to improve operational performance. The Discovery segment specializes in subsea and ocean technologies, including acoustic, navigation, and positioning systems, and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) portfolio such as the HUGIN family for seabed mapping and surveillance, and the MUNIN series for offshore survey and inspection. These systems support environmental monitoring, subsea infrastructure assessment, and military operations. The company operates in nearly 40 countries, employs about 14,600 people, and is 50.004% owned by the Norwegian government through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.

L3Harris Technologies, Inc. is a US-based defense and technology company that provides systems and services across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. The company operates globally and is structured around multiple business segments covering communication systems, aviation systems, integrated mission systems, and space and airborne technologies. Its activities include the design, engineering, production, and support of platforms, sensors, communication equipment, electronic systems, and mission-management technologies used by defense, government, and commercial operators. Within the unmanned maritime domain, L3Harris supplies underwater and surface systems, including the IVER family of autonomous underwater vehicles and supporting mission equipment used for survey, mine countermeasures, security operations, and environmental data collection. The company maintains engineering, manufacturing, testing, and lifecycle-support capabilities through facilities in the US and international locations.

BAE Systems is a UK-based defense and aerospace company that develops, manufactures, and supports systems across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains. The company operates in more than 40 countries with a workforce of about 110,000 employees and maintains major businesses in electronic systems, platforms and services, air systems, maritime programs, and cyber and intelligence solutions. Its operations cover engineering, production, system integration, and long-term support for government and security customers. In the underwater segment, BAE Systems supplies technologies and components used in naval platforms and unmanned underwater systems, including mission systems, sensors, electronic components, and integration capabilities that support autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles used in surveillance, mine countermeasures, and naval operations. These activities are supported by global engineering centres, production sites, and lifecycle support functions across the company’s business units.

Oceaneering International, Inc. is a US-based engineering and technology company that provides products and services primarily for offshore energy, with additional activities in defense, aerospace, material handling, and industrial sectors. The company’s operations cover remotely operated vehicles, subsea hardware, tooling, project management, and specialized engineering support across the lifecycle of offshore and subsea assets. Its portfolio includes work-class and inspection-class ROV systems, intervention tools, and subsea connection equipment used in construction, inspection, and maintenance tasks. In the unmanned underwater segment, Oceaneering develops and operates platforms such as the Nexxus, Magnum Plus, Millennium Plus, Isurus, and eNovus work-class ROVs, as well as resident systems including Freedom and Liberty. These systems support intervention, survey, inspection, and operational tasks in deepwater and high-current environments. The company also provides associated engineering, integration, field services, and long-term operational support to energy and government clients.

Saipem S.p.A. is an Italy-based engineering and construction company that delivers onshore and offshore infrastructure for the energy and industrial sectors. Its operations span project design, engineering, procurement, installation, and maintenance of pipelines, subsea systems, processing facilities, and complex energy-related structures. The company uses its offshore construction and installation fleet to support field development, subsea intervention, and inspection tasks across deepwater and shallow-water environments. Within underwater operations, Saipem employs a range of remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater systems to support inspection, survey, trenching, and construction activities. Its ROV portfolio includes work-class systems used for subsea installation, maintenance, and intervention, while its autonomous underwater vehicles support pipeline inspection, seabed mapping, and environmental surveys. These systems are integrated into Saipem’s broader subsea engineering and field-support services, which include system integration, operational planning, data acquisition, and lifecycle maintenance for offshore projects.

Market Ranking

The UUV market is led by five major companies that define the sector’s technological and operational standards. Kongsberg holds a strong position with long-range systems used for naval missions, deep-water survey, and offshore energy operations. L3Harris contributes through its IVER platforms and related mission equipment that support security tasks, data collection, and mine-countermeasure activities. BAE Systems incorporates UUV capabilities within its naval systems portfolio, applying them to surveillance, training, and underwater mission support. Oceaneering International remains a key provider of work-class and inspection-class ROVs for offshore energy, construction, and subsea intervention work. Saipem strengthens the market through its industrial AUV and ROV capabilities used in pipeline inspections, subsea maintenance, and large offshore infrastructure projects. The wider market includes specialized and regional suppliers, with competition driven by advances in autonomy, endurance, data quality, and payload integration. Improvements in multi-mission performance and operational reliability continue to shape competitive positioning across the UUV market.

Related Reports:

Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Market By AUV (Shallow, Medium, Large), ROV (Observation Class, Medium/Small, Work Class), Application (Military, Oil & Gas, Oceanography, Search & Salvage), Propulsion, System, Speed, Shape, Region - Global Forecast to 2030

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