Strategic Intelligence - Unmanned Ground Vehicles

"Unmanned Ground Vehicles" is part of the analyst's Strategic Intelligence series of reports on unmanned technologies and its impacts across different industries. UGVs are finally making a mark in modern warfare, and their use can have severe strategic and financial consequences. To overcome developmental hurdles, companies, nations, and militaries are increasingly adopting a collaborative approach. This approach involves public and private investment in the sector and constant experimentation in Ukraine.

This report explores emergent trends within the UGV market, examining use cases and the implementation of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and remote sensors, and what challenges must be considered in pursuing effective strategies for brand building in this market.

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have been a distant second thought for those thinking about the future of unmanned warfare. Indeed, Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine has demonstrated the utility of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned maritime vehicles (UMVs), but until recently, UGVs have rarely been mentioned. Yet warfare drives innovation, and the UGV sector has been developed by Ukrainian fighters seeking to manage personnel shortages. Since the start of that war, the use of UGVs for logistical, engineering, surveillance, and combat support roles has exploded, and Ukraine now plans to deliver 15,000 ground robots for combat use by the end of 2025. While it is important to recognize that UGVs still account for a fraction of the total of unmanned support in conflicts, the utility of UGVs has at long last been exploited by those on the battlefield. Modern UGVs are now suitable for a wide variety of defense and security applications beyond the traditionally limited scope of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), with nations including China, France, India, Russia, the UK, and the US developing logistics, ISR, and combat-capable UGV platforms.

To capitalize on the growth of the UGV market, key industry players have been investing heavily in expanding their research, development, and manufacturing capabilities, with both established defense primes like Rheinmetall and KMW as well as emerging players such as EDGE Group engaging in mergers and acquisitions of specialist firms within the UGV supply chain to pre-emptively secure market shares in an emerging capability sector. Firms with expertise in associated technologies such as AI, weapons systems, mobility solutions, and power supply/management will also benefit from growing demand as the diversified applications for UGVs provide new opportunities to engage with primes and forge strategic partnerships to cement their positions within the supply chain.

Studies of emerging technological trends and their broader impact on the defense market.

Analysis of the various unmanned ground vehicle programs and projects currently under development, as well as the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence on the future outlook of the unmanned ground vehicles theme.

Scope

• The key defense challenges that forces and defense sector suppliers face are covered.
• The investment opportunities for armed forces, suppliers, and institutional investors, across the whole unmanned ground vehicles value chain are covered.
• Highlights from the range different unmanned ground vehicles related research and development programs currently being undertaken by various military organizations and defense companies.

Reasons to Buy

• Determine potential investment companies based on trend analysis and market projections.
• Gaining an understanding of the market challenges and opportunities surrounding the unmanned ground vehicles theme.
• Understanding how spending on unmanned ground vehicles and related segments will fit into the overall market and which spending areas are being prioritized.