The growing adoption of integrated sonar suites (ISS) on technologically advanced surface ships and submarines is expected to propel the sonar segment to garner the largest share (49%) of global spending on underwater warfare systems (UWS) over the next decade. The sonar segment is expected to reach US$3.1bn by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.50%, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Venkatesh Kandlikar, Defense Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “As several navies, such as the US, the UK, France, Norway, Germany, and Russia, are in the process of replacing their legacy submarine fleet with the next generation submarines, which includes enhanced sensor fusion capability, the sonar systems market is expected to witness significant investments over the next decade.”

The demand for USW systems over the next ten years is expected to be driven by growing disputes over maritime borders, offshore resources and trade routes among countries across the globe. Navies across the Asia-Pacific region such as India, China and Australia are enhancing their underwater warfare capabilities by commissioning advanced surface ships and submarines, primarily to gain an asymmetric advantage over their adversaries and to secure their territorial waters against any intrusion.

Venkatesh adds: “Over the forecast period, it is expected that growing integration of acoustic quieting techniques by naval vessel designers in surface naval vessels and submarines will further witness investments towards the research and development (R&D) of advanced sonars capable of detecting low noise emitting threats in the deep ocean and littoral environments.”