The unmanned underwater vehicle market is on the way of growth, and this trend will also rise in the years to come as well. The key factors responsible for the growth of the industry are the growing defense expenditure of nations at a global level and mounting requirement for seafloor mapping data.

Autonomous underwater vehicle will grow the fastest in the years to come, on the basis of type. Also, the category will continue to be the leader of the industry in the years to come.

This can be credited to the wide use of these platforms in the oil and gas sector to make detailed maps of the seafloor before building the subsea infra. This makes the setting up of pipelines and systems easy and cost-efficient, with minimal destruction of the environment.

The commercial category led the industry, on the basis of application. This can be mostly credited to the more than a few commercial uses of UUVs, for example survey and seabed mapping, pipelining, offshore drilling, and cabling.

North America unmanned underwater vehicle market was the largest contributor. This is mostly credited to the increasing usage of cutting-edge underwater inspection methods and growing necessity for maritime protection.

Furthermore, the growing defense expenditure on cutting-edge unmanned military and navy equipment has additionally resulted in the development of the regional industry. Also, key stakeholders continue to emphasis on improving the autonomous functions and growing the battery life of UUVs.

Various vehicle types and applications, along with numerous creative methods to enhance the efficiency of UUVs, have been established. Battery tech, propulsion systems, underwater communication, and sensor fusion are all instances of apparatuses that have experienced tech progressions. UUVs fortified with cutting-edge technologies that can conduct underwater surveys for up to 2 days, since the workers remain on the ground.

UUVs play a substantial role in marine warfare as they offer substantial standoff and clandestine competences and can adapt intelligently to the changes in tactical state of affairs. Their onboard systems can adapt to the mission plan and identifying changes without the requirement for intervention by operators. Therefore, navy and further departments of defense in quite a few countries are partnering with private players to conduct RD for next-gen UUVs. For example, in February 2021, the U.S. DARPA selected 3 contractors for a UUV development program, called the Manta Ray Project.