Autonomous Naval Vessel Market Report 2026

The autonomous naval vessel market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.56 billion in 2025 to $1.7 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to adoption of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, development of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for mine detection and countermeasures, integration of autonomous navigation and propulsion systems in naval platforms, deployment of sensor suites and payload modules for mission-specific tasks, rising use of command and control systems for remote monitoring and coordination.

The autonomous naval vessel market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2.4 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing demand for ai-enhanced autonomous naval vessels for anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol, expansion of unmanned platforms for logistics, resupply, and border security operations, rising adoption of integrated sensor and communication systems for real-time situational awareness, focus on modular and scalable payload and mission systems, increasing procurement for naval modernization and unmanned fleet expansion. Major trends in the forecast period include growing demand for unmanned maritime surveillance platforms, expansion of autonomous mine countermeasure operations, integration of modular payload systems for multi-role naval missions, increased adoption of long-endurance surface and underwater vessels, rising deployment of autonomous vessels for maritime border enforcement.

The growing demand for maritime security is expected to drive the expansion of the autonomous naval vessel market in the coming years. Maritime security involves safeguarding ships, ports, and coastal regions from threats like piracy, terrorism, and illegal activities to ensure safe and efficient maritime operations. This demand is rising due to an increase in illegal maritime incidents, which pose risks to national security, disrupt trade routes, and endanger coastal infrastructure. Autonomous naval vessels address these challenges by offering continuous, unmanned surveillance and swift threat detection over vast ocean areas. These vessels minimize human exposure to danger while performing high-risk operations, thereby enhancing coastal defense and operational readiness. For example, in January 2024, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) of the International Chamber of Commerce, a France-based business organization, reported 120 cases of maritime piracy and armed robbery in 2023, an increase from 115 in 2022. As a result, the rising need for maritime security is fueling the growth of the autonomous naval vessel market.

Key companies in the autonomous naval vessel market are concentrating on developing advanced solutions, such as fully autonomous fleets, to improve operational efficiency, broaden mission versatility, and reduce the need for human involvement in maritime activities. Fully autonomous fleets consist of a collection of unmanned vessels that utilize self-navigation, real-time analytics, and adaptable mission planning to perform a wide range of maritime tasks independently. For instance, in February 2025, Zerousv, a UK-based autonomous maritime technology firm, introduced the Oceanus12, an autonomous vessel engineered for multi-mission flexibility, high-end maritime surveillance, and long-duration deployments. The Oceanus12 features modular payload options and advanced endurance capabilities, making it suitable for a variety of efficient, low-carbon missions such as environmental monitoring, defense, and surveillance, while improving situational awareness and operational agility.

In March 2025, Zero USV, a UK-based autonomous vessel manufacturer, formed a partnership with Leeway Marine to enhance the deployment of fully autonomous, long-range unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for offshore and maritime applications. The collaboration focuses on accelerating the development, testing, and operational deployment of these advanced USVs for missions including surveillance, data collection, and maritime logistics in demanding offshore environments. Leeway Marine is a Canada-based marine services provider that supports the operations of autonomous naval vessels.

Major companies operating in the autonomous naval vessel market are RTX Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, BAE Systems plc, Thales Group, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Elbit Systems Ltd., Saab AB, Kongsberg Maritime AS, Fugro N.V, EXAIL Technologies SA, Ocean Infinity, Saildrone Inc., Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, Ocius Technology Ltd., Sea Machines Robotics Inc., SeaRobotics Corporation, Ocean Aero Inc, Buffalo Automation Group Inc., Metron Inc., Deep Ocean Engineering Inc.

North America was the largest region in the autonomous naval vessel market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the autonomous naval vessel 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 on maritime electronics and propulsion materials have increased production costs for autonomous naval vessels, affecting regions dependent on imported high-tech components, especially in Asia-Pacific and Europe. Advanced segments such as fully autonomous vessels and hybrid propulsion systems face the greatest delays. However, tariffs are also fostering domestic manufacturing growth and accelerating innovation in cost-optimized autonomous naval technologies.

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

An autonomous naval vessel is an unmanned maritime system designed to operate on or beneath the ocean’s surface with little to no human intervention. It utilizes advanced navigation, communication, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to perform missions such as surveillance, reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, and maritime security, while aiming to reduce human risk and lower operational costs.

The primary types of autonomous naval vessels include surface vessels and sub-surface vessels or vehicles. Surface vessels are designed to operate on the water’s surface and are commonly used for transportation, naval operations, or commercial applications. These platforms vary in autonomy levels, including fully autonomous and partially autonomous systems, and can be classified by vessel type as either newbuilds or retrofits. In terms of propulsion, autonomous naval vessels are categorized into fully electric, conventional, and hybrid systems. They serve a broad range of end users, including navies and defense forces, commercial shipping operators, research institutions, academic bodies, coast guards and homeland security agencies, as well as environmental organizations.

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

The autonomous naval vessel market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), mine detection and neutralization, anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol, environmental monitoring, logistics and resupply operations, and maritime border security. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The autonomous naval vessel market also includes sales of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), autonomous navigation systems, propulsion systems, command and control systems, sensor suites, and payload modules. 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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