Autonomous Marine Vehicles Market

Australia’s Department of Defence committed AUD 1.7 billion over five years on 10 September 2025 to buy Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vehicles from Anduril Australia, a five-year purchase that shows where the money in this category now sits. The autonomous marine vehicles market covers uncrewed craft that navigate without a tether or a crew aboard: autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), underwater gliders and uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), sold with their navigation, sonar and launch-and-recovery equipment. Douglas Insights builds the 2025 base from deliveries: 6,850 vehicles × USD 468,600 average realised price = USD 3.21 billion. By 2035 our model reaches USD 9.28 billion, which works out to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.20% over 2026 to 2035: 8.65% a year from vehicle counts and 2.35% from price. The study belongs to our marine and shipping equipment coverage, and every figure follows the Douglas Insights research methodology.

Why are navies and survey fleets buying autonomous marine vehicles faster than crewed hulls?

Autonomous marine vehicle deliveries rise 8.65% a year in our base case, from 6,850 in 2025 to 15,703 in 2035. Mine-countermeasure and surveillance budgets supply most of that volume, with offshore energy inspection, seabed science and cheaper small USVs adding the rest, because an uncrewed hull does the same survey without a crew at risk.

Navy mine countermeasures and surveillance programmes

Defence buying sets the pace. Australia’s Ghost Shark contract is worth AUD 1.7 billion across five years, following 3 prototypes already delivered, and the minister’s release counts more than 150 new jobs plus 600 supply chain roles across over 40 Australian companies, according to the Defence ministry. HII reported its 750th REMUS vehicle, a REMUS 300 for the German Navy, in a release that says REMUS now serves more than 30 nations and 14 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Mine countermeasures (MCM) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) work move from crewed minehunters to vehicles. Douglas Insights estimates that this defence pull supplies 4.12 percentage points of the 8.65-point volume leg.

The United States adds a surface leg. On 29 May 2026 the Navy selected seven companies for Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) at-sea demonstrations, offering USD 15 million to vessels that pass testing between June and October 2026. A follow-on award for 30 MUSVs, 10 each from Galliano Marine Services, HII and Saronic Technologies, was reported at USD 1.2 billion, or about USD 40 million per vessel, with deliveries from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2027. Our model books those hulls from 2028.

Offshore energy and subsea infrastructure inspection

Pipeline, cable and wind-farm owners now inspect seabed assets with resident or vessel-launched AUVs rather than chartering crewed survey ships for every pass. A HUGIN Endurance vehicle is specified for 15 days and 1,200 nautical miles of range, so one launch covers a route that once needed a dedicated vessel for weeks. Douglas Insights expects offshore energy and subsea infrastructure work to add 2.31 points of volume growth, which also links to the cable and mooring demand in our Offshore Wind Installation Vessels Market study.

Ocean science, hydrography and cheaper small USVs

Hydrographic offices and research institutes buy gliders and small AUVs to map shelves and profile the water column at a fraction of ship-day cost. Saildrone specifies its 33-foot Voyager for 100 days between service stops at a 5-knot mapping speed. Douglas Insights values ocean science and hydrography at 1.37 points and falling small-USV prices at 0.85 points, so 4.12 + 2.31 + 1.37 + 0.85 = 8.65 points. Price adds 2.35% a year on top, from heavier payloads and longer-endurance batteries, giving the 11.20% revenue CAGR.

Which bottlenecks slow autonomous marine vehicle fleets, from launch-and-recovery to underwater navigation?

Three bottlenecks remove 2.48 percentage points from autonomous marine vehicle volume growth in our slower case: launch-and-recovery and navigation limits, export controls on defence-grade vehicles, and procurement slippage. Together they cut unit growth from 8.65% to 6.17% a year over 2026 to 2035.

Launch and recovery remains the practical ceiling. Large AUVs still need a mother ship or a container-based handling system, and underwater navigation drifts without acoustic fixes, so many survey owners keep one crewed vessel per vehicle. We remove 0.94 points of volume for that operating bottleneck.

Export rules narrow the buyer pool. Defence-grade AUVs and armed USVs move under national licences, so a supplier with a 30-nation customer base, such as REMUS, still sells country by country. We take 0.81 points off volume for buyers who cannot clear licences in time.

Procurement slippage is the third hurdle. Programmes such as MUSV move from demonstration to production over several years, and our model holds 0.73 points of volume against award delays: 0.94 + 0.81 + 0.73 = 2.48 points.

Which vehicle class makes the money: small AUVs, large AUVs, gliders or uncrewed surface vessels?

Small and medium AUVs make the most money, at USD 1.07 billion or 33.4% of 2025 autonomous marine vehicle value, because survey firms, navies and institutes buy them in the largest numbers. Medium and large USVs grow fastest, at 16.43% a year to USD 2.26 billion in 2035.

Small and medium AUVs hold 33.4%, or USD 1.07 billion, and grow 9.31% a year to USD 2.61 billion. Vehicles such as the L3Harris Iver4 580, 82 inches long and 5.8 inches across, rated to 200 m at 4 knots, suit small survey boats, which keeps unit counts high.

Large AUVs take 24.7%, worth USD 792.8 million, and reach USD 2.09 billion at 10.17%. HUGIN and Ghost Shark class vehicles cost millions each, so a few hundred units carry a quarter of value.

Underwater gliders are the smallest class at 7.9%, or USD 253.6 million, growing 7.82% to USD 538.4 million. Research budgets fund them, and research budgets rise slowly.

Small USVs hold 18.6%, worth USD 597.0 million, and climb 11.58% to USD 1.79 billion. Craft under 12 m now handle hydrographic lines and patrol work, and Saildrone’s 33-foot Voyager sits in this class.

Medium and large USVs, at 15.4% or USD 494.3 million, compound fastest at 16.43%. MUSV production at about USD 40 million per vessel and European surveillance orders explain the rate.

How do defence, offshore energy and ocean science split autonomous marine vehicle spending?

Defence and security take 58.3% of 2025 autonomous marine vehicle value by Douglas Insights estimate, or USD 1.87 billion. Offshore energy and subsea infrastructure take 22.9%, worth USD 735.1 million, and ocean science and hydrography take 18.8%, worth USD 603.4 million, because navies buy the costliest hulls.

The defence share rises through 2035 in our model, since Ghost Shark and MUSV volumes land in that column. Offshore owners buy fewer but longer-endurance vehicles. Ocean science and hydrography spend is the most glider-heavy, at USD 142.5 million of glider value.

What separates an autonomous underwater vehicle from a tethered ROV in this count?

An autonomous underwater vehicle navigates on its own with no cable, while a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is piloted through a tether, so ROVs sit outside the USD 3.21 billion base. Our count includes AUVs, gliders and USVs, their payloads sold at delivery and launch-and-recovery kits.

Semi-autonomous craft such as Saab’s Double Eagle semi-autonomous remotely operated vehicle (SAROV) sit on the line; we include only units sold for untethered work. Readers comparing the satellite tracking side of maritime awareness can use our Satellite-based Automatic Identification Systems Market report. Services, data-as-a-service contracts and used-vehicle sales are excluded.

Which region buys the most autonomous marine vehicles, and how fast is Asia Pacific catching North America?

North America is the largest autonomous marine vehicle region, at USD 1.24 billion or 38.6% of 2025 value, on US Navy unmanned programmes. Asia Pacific grows fastest, at 13.94% a year to USD 2.86 billion in 2035, as Australia’s Ghost Shark build and regional navy fleets expand.

North America reaches USD 3.25 billion in 2035 at 10.12%, with HII’s Pocasset, Massachusetts, REMUS line and the MUSV awards anchoring supply.

Europe holds USD 876.3 million, or 27.3%, and grows 9.83% to USD 2.24 billion. Baltic and North Sea surveillance and minehunter renewal lead orders.

Asia Pacific starts at USD 776.8 million, or 24.2%. Ghost Shark alone averages AUD 340 million a year over its five-year term, which is why the region overtakes Europe in value before 2035 in our model.

The Middle East and Africa is the wildcard, at USD 179.8 million and 12.41% growth to USD 579.2 million, because Gulf navies buy in single large tenders.

Latin America is worth USD 138.0 million, or 4.3%, and grows 9.81% to USD 351.8 million, led by offshore oil inspection off Brazil.

Which companies build HUGIN, REMUS, Ghost Shark and DriX vehicles, and how concentrated is supply?

Kongsberg leads autonomous marine vehicle supply with 8.2% of 2025 value by Douglas Insights estimate, and the top three companies hold 21.9%. HUGIN, REMUS and Teledyne glider fleets give the leaders installed bases that buyers extend rather than replace, while new defence entrants win the largest new contracts.

Kongsberg Discovery grew revenue 16% to NOK 5.13 billion in 2025, and its fourth-quarter release names HUGIN contracts among the order drivers. Kongsberg says about 100 large HUGIN systems have shipped over 30 years. Douglas Insights puts HUGIN-related vehicle revenue at USD 263.2 million.

HII ranks second at 7.4%. Its release on the 750th REMUS says over 90% of units delivered in the past 23 years remain in service, and the company has demonstrated REMUS launch and recovery from Virginia-class submarine torpedo tubes. HII is also one of three MUSV production builders.

Teledyne follows at 6.3%. Its 2025 annual report on Form 10-K lists autonomous gliders among its marine products and shows US Government sales of USD 1.56 billion, or 25.5% of net sales.

Anduril holds 4.9% on our count, built almost entirely on the AUD 1.7 billion Ghost Shark contract of 10 September 2025. Exail takes 3.9% with its DriX USVs, including its largest DriX order to date, five DriX H-8 units for a European defence customer. Saab holds 3.4% through its underwater systems unit and the Double Eagle SAROV chosen for three Polish Kormoran II minehunters. L3Harris takes 2.7% with Iver vehicles, and Saildrone 2.2% with Voyager, four of which now fly the Danish flag. Saronic Technologies is the newest MUSV builder. Readers tracking the crewed side of these fleets can use our Naval Combat Systems Market report.

How much does an autonomous underwater vehicle or a medium uncrewed surface vessel cost per unit?

An autonomous marine vehicle averages USD 468,600 in 2025 by Douglas Insights estimate, rising 2.35% a year to about USD 591,100 in 2035. Realised prices span from about USD 194,000 for a glider to roughly USD 7.06 million for a medium or large USV.

Procurement records anchor the bands. A Norwegian order for 4 complete HUGIN systems was valued at NOK 155 million, or NOK 38.75 million per system with launch and recovery. The 30-hull MUSV buy works out at about USD 40 million per vessel, the top of the medium and large USV band.

Price growth of 2.35% a year comes from payload mix: synthetic aperture sonar, longer-endurance batteries and container-based handling systems add more to each autonomous marine vehicle invoice than list inflation.

How long can a HUGIN Endurance, a HUGIN Superior or a Saildrone Voyager stay on station?

A Saildrone Voyager stays out 100 days between service stops, a HUGIN Endurance 15 days and a HUGIN Superior 70 hours. Endurance sets cost per survey day, so buyers pay more for autonomous marine vehicles that cut mother-ship days, which explains the 2.35% price leg.

The HUGIN Endurance is 39 feet long and 47 inches across; the HUGIN Superior is 22 feet long and 35 inches across. Both feature in a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) contract supporting the US Navy’s Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) prototype programme.

How do the IMO MASS Code and flag-state policy apply to uncrewed vessels?

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted its Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Code at the 111th Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) session, held 13 to 22 May 2026. The non-mandatory code took effect on 1 July 2026 for cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage or more, according to the US Coast Guard, so most autonomous marine vehicles sit outside it.

Most autonomous marine vehicles fall far below that tonnage, so the code shapes large USVs and future autonomous cargo ships first. The code is goal-based and supplementary to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), and a mandatory version is expected to be finalised in 2030 and enter into force in 2032. Flag registration matters too: Saildrone’s four Danish-flagged Voyagers are its first vehicles under a national flag, which gives coastal states a template for small USVs.

What if Ghost Shark and MUSV production slips, and how far does the 2035 autonomous marine vehicle forecast move?

Our three cases place 2035 autonomous marine vehicle value at USD 6.98 billion slower, USD 9.28 billion in the base and USD 11.6 billion faster. Defence production timing drives the volume leg, while payload content drives price, so programme slippage is the main swing factor.

The slower case assumes Ghost Shark deliveries stretch beyond the five-year contract term, MUSV hulls arrive late and export licences stay tight. The faster case assumes MUSV moves to a second tranche and European navies copy the Danish surveillance model at scale.

A one-point gain in annual vehicle growth adds USD 890.6 million to the 2035 total in our model, and a one-point loss removes USD 819.8 million. Our 11.20% lands 1.30 points under the midpoint of the outside forecasts we reviewed, which span 8.3% to 16.7% a year.

Douglas Exclusive: the Autonomous Marine Vehicle Mission Spend Matrix

The Mission Spend Matrix is a Douglas Insights model built from 12 inputs: 7 published vehicle specifications and 5 procurement records, including Ghost Shark, MUSV and the Norwegian HUGIN order. It splits the USD 3.21 billion autonomous marine vehicle base into 15 cells, five vehicle classes by three missions, each a Douglas Insights estimate.

Two cells dominate. Defence spend on large AUVs, at USD 498.5 million, and on medium and large USVs, at USD 427.7 million, together hold USD 926.2 million, or 28.9% of 2025 value. The medium and large USV defence cell is 86.5% of its class, the most concentrated row in the matrix.

The finding for suppliers is direct. Gliders are the only class where ocean science and hydrography out-spend defence, at USD 142.5 million against USD 79.9 million. Offshore energy and subsea infrastructure spend sits mostly in small and medium AUVs and large AUVs, at USD 516.5 million combined. We will refresh the matrix as MUSV and Ghost Shark deliveries begin.

Which receipts and cross-checks support the 6,850-vehicle autonomous marine vehicle base?

Douglas Insights counts 6,850 autonomous marine vehicles delivered worldwide in 2025 across 34 countries and multiplies them by a USD 468,600 average realised price to reach USD 3.21 billion. Five regional lines add back to the global figure, and two outside cross-checks land within 8.3% and 21.5%.

Inputs: 4 published growth rates, 7 vehicle specifications, 5 procurement records, 2 company results filings and 1 IMO code notice. Compounding 8.65% unit growth with 2.35% price growth gives 1.0865 × 1.0235 = 1.1120, an 11.20% revenue rate. For 2026 the model holds 7,443 vehicles at USD 479,600 each, or USD 3.57 billion.

Cross-check one: an outside 2025 estimate of USD 3.5 billion sits 8.3% above our USD 3.21 billion, a gap explained by our exclusion of services. Cross-check two: an outside AUV-only figure of USD 2.7 billion for 2025 is 21.5% above our USD 2.12 billion for AUVs and gliders, since we exclude tethered hybrids. Adding the five class values for 2035 gives USD 9.29 billion, which sits 0.1% away from the USD 9.28 billion headline.

Sources

1. Australian Minister for Defence Equipping the Royal Australian Navy with next generation autonomous undersea vehicles (2025)
2. US Navy US Navy announces seven companies selected for MUSV marketplace at-sea demonstrations (2026)
3. US Coast Guard Maritime Commons Adoption of the International Code for the Safety of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (2026)
4. HII HII completes 750th REMUS unmanned undersea vehicle for German Navy (2025)
5. Kongsberg Financial results Q4 2025 (2026)
6. US SEC EDGAR Teledyne Technologies Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (2026)