The global military unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) market is set to reach $732 million in 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% between 2022 and 2032, according to GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company notes that the growth in research and development (R&D) towards incorporating advanced sensors, telecommunications, energy dense powerpacks and AI capabilities into UGVs to make them more effective in a wide variety of military applications is driving their adoption.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Market Size and Trend Analysis, Key Programs, Competitive Landscape and Forecast, 2022-2032’, reveals that the evolution of urban warfare and the technological strides in military vehicle automation are also anticipated to contribute to their adoption in the next decade.

Harshavardhan Dabbiru, Senior Aerospace, Defense, and Security Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “UGVs have immense potential to be used in urban warfare scenarios, especially for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) detection and disposal. While ethical concerns have been highlighted about the weaponizing of some unmanned ground systems, UGVs will be developed for military applications to reduce human casualties and raise safety and security for personnel.”

While most military UGVs in the current fleet are primarily used for explosive and mine disposal purposes, the market is projected to witness an increased adoption of UGVs for other applications, including combat, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and logistics.

Dabbiru continues: “The combat UGV segment is the largest segment and is poised to grow at a significant rate due to the increased emphasis on integration of unmanned systems as part of network centric warfare. The segment was valued at $222.9 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $362.6 million in 2032, growing at a CAGR of approximately 5% over the forecast period.

“The development of swarm technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has gained pace in recent years, and its integration with UGVs is being evaluated. UGV swarms can provide logistics support, perform ISR, and can also conduct combat operations in future with minimal soldier intervention, which is expected to immensely aid the deployed forces in such scenarios.”

The future of terrestrial warfare is also expected to witness the adoption of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities, similar to the ones being observed in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) sphere.

Dabbiru concludes: “The likely success of the MUM-T operations in the UAV sphere will provide the necessary impetus for the growth in investments into similar R&D efforts in the UGV industry in the next decade.”