Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Market Report 2026

The autonomous underwater vehicles market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $2.9 billion in 2025 to $3.45 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising deployment of AUVs for oceanographic research requiring extensive underwater data collection, increased adoption of autonomous platforms for naval surveillance and mine detection, advancements in battery and propulsion technologies extending AUV operational endurance, growth in offshore oil and gas exploration driving demand for seabed mapping capabilities, early development of torpedo and streamlined vehicle designs improving hydrodynamic efficiency.

The autonomous underwater vehicles market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $6.63 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing investment in multi-mission AUVs supporting environmental monitoring and deep-sea exploration, increasing integration of AI-driven navigation and real-time decision-making systems, expansion of commercial applications including underwater infrastructure inspection and pipeline monitoring, development of modular and reconfigurable AUV platforms enabling rapid mission adaptation, rising demand for long-endurance multi-hull vehicles to support complex deep-water operations. Major trends in the forecast period include enhanced underwater navigation systems, autonomous mission planning and operation, advanced underwater imaging and mapping, integration of multi-sensor payload, extended battery life and endurance technologies.

The expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration and production is another significant driver for the autonomous underwater vehicle market. These vehicles are crucial for maneuvering through challenging underwater conditions, inspecting machinery, and checking for issues such as damage and corrosion on wellheads, pipelines, and subsea installations. Rystad Energy, a Norwegian energy research company, projects that annual greenfield capital expenditure for offshore oil and gas will surpass $100 billion in 2023, marking the first time since 2012 and 2013. With $214 billion in new project investments anticipated in the next two years, the offshore oil and gas industry is expected to grow by 16% in 2023 and 2024. The expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration and production is thus driving the growth of the autonomous underwater vehicle market.

Major players in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market are actively pursuing strategic collaborations with prominent manufacturing companies to enhance their market positions. These strategic collaborations enable companies to join forces with partners possessing specialized expertise, facilitating the realization of conceptual ideas. For instance, in June 2023, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., a Brazilian petroleum industry company, entered into a collaboration with Nauticus Robotics, a US-based ocean robot manufacturer and autonomy software and services company, to develop and test the Aquanaut AUV. This strategic partnership aims to enhance Petrobras' offshore operations in Brazil by leveraging the advanced capabilities of the Aquanaut AUV. Nauticus Robotics, known for manufacturing AI-powered autonomous robots for data collection and intervention services in the maritime sector, brings valuable expertise to the collaboration.

In October 2025, Helsing SE, a Germany-based provider of defense technology solutions specializing in artificial intelligence systems and autonomous platforms, acquired Blue Ocean for an undisclosed sum. Through this acquisition, Helsing intends to advance its maritime defense initiatives by combining Blue Ocean’s autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) manufacturing expertise with Helsing’s AI-enabled systems, creating scalable undersea surveillance platforms. Blue Ocean is an Australia-based developer of autonomous underwater vehicles.

Major companies operating in the autonomous underwater vehicles market are Fugro N.V., Kongsberg Gruppen A.S.A, Boston Engineering Corporation, Teledyne Technologies Inc, The Boeing Company, Atlas Elektronik Gmbh, Riptide Autonomous Solutions, Tianjin Sublue Ocean Science & Technology Co. Ltd, Falmouth Scientific Inc., Terradepth, ecoSUB Robotics Limited, Eelume AS, BaltRobotics Sp.z.o.o., Hydromea SA, Bluefin Robotics Corporation, Chesapeake Technology Inc, Exocetus Development LLC, OceanServer Technology Inc., Phoenix International Holdings Inc., Teledyne Technologies Inc., Thales Underwater Systems, ECA Group, Hydroid Robotics Inc., OceanServer Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the autonomous underwater vehicles market in 2025. The regions covered in the autonomous underwater vehicles market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs have influenced the autonomous underwater vehicles market by increasing the costs of importing specialized sensors, sonar equipment, and propulsion systems, with Asia-Pacific and North America being most affected due to major production and R&D hubs. Higher import duties have led to increased AUV acquisition and operational costs for military, research, and offshore energy segments. Positively, tariffs are driving localized manufacturing, promoting domestic innovation, and encouraging investment in more cost-efficient and technologically advanced AUV systems.

The autonomous underwater vehicles market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides autonomous underwater vehicles market statistics, including autonomous underwater vehicles industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an autonomous underwater vehicles market share, detailed autonomous underwater vehicles market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the autonomous underwater vehicles industry. This autonomous underwater vehicles market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are self-propelled marine vehicles that operate without human intervention, performing tasks such as collecting visual seawater data, remote navigation, detection, and mapping for diverse marine applications and oceanographic research.

AUVs are categorized into shallow, medium, and large types based on their operational depth capacities, typically used for depths up to 150 meters. These vehicles are equipped with payloads including cameras, sensors, synthetic aperture sonar, echo sounders, and acoustic doppler current profilers, enabling functionalities such as collision avoidance, communication, imaging, navigation, and propulsion. AUVs find application in various fields such as archaeological exploration, environmental monitoring, defense operations, oceanography, offshore renewable energy, oil and gas industry, as well as search and salvage missions.

The countries covered in the autonomous underwater vehicles market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The autonomous underwater vehicles market consists of sales of the torpedo, laminar flow body, streamlined rectangular style, and multi-hull vehicle. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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