Unmanned Ground Vehicles Market Trends

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Size was valued at USD 2.6 billion in 2023. The unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market industry is projected to grow from USD 2.7 Billion in 2024 to USD 3.6 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.60% during the forecast period (2024-2030). Rising UGV Use in Counter-Insurgency Operations and Growing Demand for Autonomous Systems in the Commercial and Defense Sectors are the key market drivers enhancing the market growth.

Source Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database and Analyst Review

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Trends

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  Increased Demand for Autonomous Systems for Commercial and Defense Applications to Drive Market Growth

  
  

The increase in demand for autonomous unmanned ground vehicles from the defence and commercial sectors is driving the market CAGR for unmanned ground vehicles. In the agricultural sector, these self-driving vehicles are used for soil sampling, mechanical weeding, irrigation management, crop harvesting, and precision spraying. Furthermore, these vehicles are widely used by defence forces for combat support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (IS) operations, among other things.

As a result, rising defence procurement of advanced robots is propelling UGV market growth.

Unmanned ground vehicles have three levels of mobility computer-assisted driving, teleoperation, and autonomous control. Vision sensors, radar, LIDAR, ultrasonic range, inter-vehicle communication, and GPS sensors are all part of the systems. The UGs are widely used for a variety of commercial applications, including the transportation of small parcels in an automatically locked compartment, area security using an intelligent video surveillance system, and industrial facility inspection using thermal cameras and gas detectors.

For instance, in February 2021, an Indian startup partnered with BEML to develop an indigenous Unmanned Ground Vehicle based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is a 750kg self-contained UG that can be used in extreme weather and terrain conditions. It can also be used for logistics and surveillance. Thus, driving the unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market revenue.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Segment Insights

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Mobility Insights

The unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market segmentation, based on mobility includes Wheeled, Tracked, Hybrid, Legged. The tracked category was worth more than USD 1.29 billion million in 2022 and is likely to be the leading segment over the projection period due to increased defense spending and the procurement of next generation tracked UGVs from various countries. For example, FLIR Systems Inc. got approximately USD 70 million in new orders from the US Military Forces in May 2021 for their unique and advanced ground robots.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Size Insights

Little, Medium, Large, very big, and very large are the size segments of the unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) industry. In 2022, the small-size segment will have a large market share of more than 23%. This increase is due to the increased usage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for military objectives such as Information, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, combat operations, and search and rescue activities.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Mode of operation Insights

 unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market segmentation is divided into three segments based on mode of operation tethered, tele-operated, and autonomous. The autonomous category will increase at an 8.3% CAGR. This is due to their ability to make decisions without the assistance of humans, like firing at a target. These robots can replace human soldiers in a number of dangerous activities, including patrolling dangerous areas and limiting access to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Figure 1: Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market, by Mode of Operation, 2022 & 2030 (USD billion)

Source Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database and Analyst Review

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) System Insights

System-based market segmentation for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market data includes Payload, Controller system, Navigation system, Power system, and Others. A significant CAGR of 8.0% is anticipated for the navigation and control segment. The system's straightforward image-based control methods make it user-friendly and lessen operator workload. To maintain accuracy in the event of a signal failure, the navigation system makes use of a Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and real-time roll, pitch, and heading data (tunnels, trees, buildings, and others). These elements are anticipated to fuel growth even further.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Application Insights

The unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market data, based on application, includes Military, Commercial, Law enforcement, Federal law enforcement. The military sector held the greatest market share, and it is anticipated that it would maintain its dominance during the forecast period. Military unmanned ground vehicles are used for transportation, which boosts army movement and logistical effectiveness. These vehicles assist the military in removing combat supplies and casualties. These elements are anticipated to accelerate the segment's growth.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Regional Insights

By Region, the study provides the market insights into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. In 2022, North America held the largest market share of over 40%, and it is anticipated that it will continue to rule during the projected period. This can be ascribed to a number of factors, including an increase in defense spending and expenditures in the purchase of next-generation military UGVs by many nations in the region, most notably the United States.

Further, the major countries studied in the market report are The U.S., Canada, German, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and Brazil.

Figure 2: UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLES (UGVs) MARKET SHARE BY REGION 2022 (%)

Source Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database and Analyst Review

Europe’s unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market accounts for the second-largest market share due to increasing military spending by nations like the U.K., Russia, Germany, France, and others. Further, the German unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market held the largest market share, and the UK unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market was the fastest-growing market in the European region.

The Asia-Pacific Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2023 to 2030. This is because the defence budget is the highest and because the cost of acquiring next-generation military robots for various purposes is rising. Moreover, China’s unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market held the largest market share, and the Indian unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) market was the fastest-growing market in the Asia-Pacific region.

July 2023

The KoC Group company, Otokar that specializes in military and commercial cars for the very first time exhibited its unmanned ground vehicle Alpar at IDEF 2023. Having a 15 tons gross vehicle weight, and 3 tons payload, this Alpar is a heavy UGV as per the Turkish nomenclature and in Europe and the US, this will be a medium UGV. This is the foremost unmanned vehicle created via the Istanbul headquartered company.

July 2023

Barkan, a domestic unmanned ground vehicle, has been added to the Turkish army's inventory. Barkan, the unmanned land vehicle joined the official inventory of the nation's security forces, marking an important milestone for the Turkish defense sector. This state-of-the-art autonomous ground vehicle, created by Havelsan, will be on display at the forthcoming 16th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2023), which will be held in Istanbul from July 25 to July 28. Havelsan will have the chance to showcase the most recent developments in unmanned vehicle systems at the expo with the focus on "digital unity."

June 2023

A robotic combat car for the U.S. Army has been developed in collaboration by Loc Performance and Milrem Robotics, an unmanned ground vehicle manufacturer located in Estonia. According to Loc on Tuesday, the two businesses want to make a combined bid for the branch's Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light prototype endeavor. Their platform will be based on Milrem's Type-X UGV design. The WarLoc product is designed to navigate soft ground, snow, or desert terrain. Using an algorithm made up of artificial intelligence & human-in-the-loop control technologies, Milrem created Type-X to function independently. The unmanned systems produced by the Estonian business are in service in 16 nations, eight of which are NATO members. The Loc company, situated in Plymouth, Michigan, provides services for hardware vehicle integration as well as mechanical & track systems, armor constructions, and kits.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

Leading market players are making significant R&D investments in order to diversify their product offerings, which will spur further growth in the unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) market. Important market developments include new product releases, contractual agreements, mergers and acquisitions, greater investments, and collaboration with other organizations. Market participants are also engaging in a number of strategic actions to increase their footprint. The unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) industry must provide affordable products if it is to grow and thrive in an increasingly competitive and challenging market environment.

One of the primary business strategies adopted by manufacturers in the unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) industry to benefit customers and expand the market sector is local manufacturing to reduce operational costs. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) industries have made some of the biggest contributions to medicine in recent years. Major players in the unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) market, such as QinetiQ (UK), Northrop Grumman Corporation (US), Endeavor Robotics (US), Cobham plc (UK), ICOR Technology (Canada), Aselsan A.S. (Turkey), Re2, Inc. (US), Nexter Group (France), and others, are making investments in their R&D operations in an effort to boost market demand.

Teledyne FLIR LLC, originally FLIR Systems Inc (an acronym for "forward-looking infrared"),[2] a Teledyne Technologies company, specializes in the design and manufacture of thermal imaging cameras and sensors. Its primary customers are governments, with the federal government of the United States and its agencies accounting for around 31% of its revenues in 2020. In  January 2021, FLIR Systems announced a USD 30.1 million contract extension from the US Army for sustainment work related to the service's Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc. II) and Common Robotic System-Heavy (CRS-H) unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) programs.

HORIBA MIRA Ltd. (previously the Motor Industry Research Association) is a British automotive engineering and development consultancy based near Nuneaton in Warwickshire. It serves the automotive industry with product engineering, research, testing, information, and certification. The company's headquarters are located in the MIRA Technological Park Enterprise Zone. On July 14, 2015, MIRA announced that it has been acquired by the Japanese-owned testing equipment company Horiba. March 2020, HORIBA MIRA announced that it had been awarded a significant GBP 2.3 million (USD 3.25 million) contract to provide the UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory with VIKING autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) (Dstl).

Key Companies in the unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs)market include.

• QinetiQ (UK)


• Northrop Grumman Corporation (US)


• Endeavor Robotics (US)


• Cobham plc (UK)


• ICOR Technology (Canada)


• Aselsan AS (Turkey)


• Re2 Inc (US)


• Nexter Group (France)


• Lockheed Martin Corporation (US)


• Superdroid Robots Inc (US)


• iRobot Corp (US)

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs)Industry Developments

For Instance, October 2021, Due to the partnership with NIMR, one of the major market players, ADASI, launched a few unmanned ground vehicles. The vehicles were given the name AJBAN armed robotic vehicle because they could withstand small arris fires as well as mine and IED blasts.              

For Instance, December 2021, One of the top market players, ADASI, introduced the SCORPIO-M and SCORPIO-S mini UGVs. These vehicles have appealing features like the ability to communicate with the autonomous control station and climb stairs with a gradient of 40 to 45 degrees.

For Instance, May 2021, Teledyne Technologies announced the successful completion of the acquisition of FLIR Systems. Such acquisitions will help the companies develop their product portfolios and improve their share in the market.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Segmentation

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Mobility Outlook

• Wheeled


• Tracked


• Hybrid


• Legged

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Size Outlook

• Small


• Medium


• Large


• Very large


• Extremely large

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Mode of operation Outlook

• Tethered


• Tele-operated


• Autonomous

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market system Outlook

• Payload


• Controller system


• Navigation syste


• Power system


• Others

 Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Market Application Outlook

• Military


• Commercial


• Law enforcement


• Federal law enforcemen

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Regional Outlook

• North America
  
  
  
  • US
  
  
  • Canada
  
  
  
  


• Europe
  
  
  
  • Germany
  
  
  • France
  
  
  • UK
  
  
  • Italy
  
  
  • Spain
  
  
  • Rest of Europe
  
  
  
  


• Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  • China
  
  
  • Japan
  
  
  • India
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • South Korea
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  


• Rest of the World
  
  
  
  • Middle East
  
  
  • Africa
  
  
  • Latin America