Demand is rising for autonomous USVs in hydrographic mapping, offshore energy, defense and ports, driven by precision sonar, modular sensors and safer remote operations
Kongsberg Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Market
Dublin, Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “Kongsberg Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Market Global Report 2026” has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
The global Kongsberg Sounder uncrewed surface vessel (USV) market is experiencing rapid growth as maritime industries increase their use of autonomous survey technologies. The market is projected to rise from $1 billion in 2025 to $1.15 billion in 2026, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9%. Historical growth has been supported by rising demand for hydrographic mapping, expanding offshore oil and gas exploration, maritime defense modernization, coastal and port infrastructure development, and the need for more cost-efficient marine survey operations.
Strong market expansion is expected to continue through the end of the decade. The Kongsberg Sounder USV market is forecast to reach $2.02 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 15.2%. Key growth factors include the adoption of autonomous maritime survey systems, demand for real-time oceanographic data, investment in smart maritime infrastructure, offshore renewable energy development, and an increased focus on safer unmanned maritime operations.
Important Kongsberg Sounder USV market trends include the deployment of autonomous hydrographic survey platforms, growing use of multipurpose vessels in offshore operations, and rising demand for high-precision hydroacoustic capabilities. Remotely operated vessels are also gaining traction in hazardous marine environments, while modular sensor payloads are enabling operators to support a wider variety of seabed mapping, monitoring, inspection, and data collection applications.
Expanding offshore oil and gas exploration is a major driver of market growth. Rising global energy demand is encouraging companies to investigate untapped reserves in deepwater and ultra-deepwater locations. Kongsberg Sounder uncrewed surface vessels support these projects by delivering autonomous, high-accuracy surveys in complex offshore environments while helping operators reduce personnel exposure and improve operational efficiency.
According to the Global Energy Monitor, 19 offshore projects reached first oil or gas production in 2024. These projects represented 71% of the reserves brought online during the year, equivalent to 6.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. This level of offshore activity is increasing demand for reliable USV-based seabed mapping, positioning, environmental monitoring, and marine data acquisition.
Offshore wind energy development is also creating significant opportunities for the Kongsberg Sounder USV market. Investment in renewable power generation, government decarbonization initiatives, and the global transition toward sustainable energy are accelerating the construction of fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects. Kongsberg Sounder USVs can support site assessment, hydrographic surveying, seabed mapping, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring throughout the offshore wind project lifecycle.
In April 2026, the Global Wind Energy Council reported that the worldwide wind energy industry added a record 9.3 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity, an increase of 16% from the previous year. Continued growth in offshore wind installations is expected to strengthen demand for autonomous marine survey solutions that can improve data quality, shorten project timelines, lower operating costs, and reduce offshore safety risks.
Strategic partnerships are further advancing Kongsberg Sounder USV capabilities. In March 2026, Kongsberg Discovery AS entered into a partnership with Fugro N.V. to support offshore survey operations and USV-based marine data collection. The collaboration is intended to expand the integration of Kongsberg’s hydroacoustic and positioning technologies across Fugro’s global operations and USV fleet, enhancing high-precision seabed mapping and autonomous survey performance for government and commercial offshore projects.
North America was the largest region in the Kongsberg Sounder uncrewed surface vessel market in 2025, while Asia-Pacific is expected to record the fastest growth during the forecast period. The market coverage includes Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. Countries analyzed include Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Italy, and Spain.
Markets Covered:
1) By Type: Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel With Gondola; Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel Without Gondola; Multi Purpose Uncrewed Surface Vessel; Hydro Acoustic Optimized Uncrewed Surface Vessel; Autonomous Surface Vehicle
2) By Performance: High Endurance Uncrewed Surface Vessel; Medium Endurance Uncrewed Surface Vessel; High Speed Survey Uncrewed Surface Vessel; Deep Water Operation Capable Uncrewed Surface Vessel; Precision Hydrographic Data Collection Uncrewed Surface Vessel
3) By Deployment: Containerized Deployment; Ship Based Deployment; Shore Based Deployment; Rapid Field Deployment; Offshore Deployment
4) By Application: Hydrographic Survey; Environmental Monitoring; Offshore Oil And Gas; Defense And Security; Other Applications
5) By End User: Commercial; Government; Defense; Research Institutes; Other End Users
Subsegments:
1) By Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel With Gondola: Hull Mounted Gondola Systems; Retractable Gondola Systems; Fixed Depth Gondola Systems; Modular Gondola Integration Systems; Deep Water Survey Gondola Systems
2) By Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel Without Gondola: Hull Integrated Sensor Systems; Side Mounted Sensor Systems; Portable Survey Sensor Configurations; Shallow Water Operation Systems; Lightweight Survey Platforms
3) By Multi Purpose Uncrewed Surface Vessel: Survey And Mapping Operations Vessels; Inspection And Monitoring Vessels; Environmental Data Collection Vessels; Defense And Surveillance Support Vessels; Research And Exploration Vessels
4) By Hydro Acoustic Optimized Uncrewed Surface Vessel: Single Beam Echo Sounder Systems; Multi Beam Echo Sounder Systems; Sub Bottom Profiler Systems; Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Systems; Integrated Hydro Acoustic Survey Systems
5) By Autonomous Surface Vehicle: Remotely Operated Surface Vehicles; Semi Autonomous Surface Vehicles; Fully Autonomous Surface Vehicles; Artificial Intelligence Enabled Navigation Systems; Swarm Enabled Cooperative Surface Vehicles
Time Series: Five years historic and ten years forecast.
Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, GDP proportions, expenditure per capita.
Data Segmentation: Country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.
Key Attributes
| Report Attribute | Details |
| No. of Pages | 250 |
| Forecast Period | 2026-2030 |
| Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2026 | $1.15 Billion |
| Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 | $2.02 Billion |
| Compound Annual Growth Rate | 15.2% |
| Regions Covered | Global |
Companies Featured
- Kongsberg Gruppen ASA
- Fugro
- Teledyne Technologies
- Exail Technologies
- Maritime Robotics
- OceanAlpha
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8spju
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- Kongsberg Sounder Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Market
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