Global Military Robots Market by Application (Search and Rescue, ISR, Combat Support, EOD, Transportation, Mine Clearance, Firefighting), Platform (Marine, Land, Airborne), Mode of Operation (Autonomous, Human Operated), and Region - Forecast (2017-2022)

Military Robots Industry Overview 2017-2022

The military robots market was valued at USD 16.79 billion in 2017 and is expected to garner USD 30.83 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 12.92% from 2017 to 2022. High efficiency of military robots is making them a perfect replacement for human soldiers. Increasing developments in robotic technology, growing terrorist activities worldwide, and rising investments in defense segment are boosting the growth of the military robots market all over the world.

Driver: Reduced loss and harm to human soldiers

Military robots are an ideal choice for dangerous situations and sensitive areas, and can destroy enemy troops more effectively as compared to human soldiers. Moreover, several benefits such as a good backup for heavy artillery fire, decreased number of casualties, extracting wounded soldiers or troops from the battlefield, and usage in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and mine clearance activities are boosting the demand for military robots worldwide.

Driver: Developments in robotic technology

Numerous technological developments related to automation, sensors systems, and computerized weapon systems that can counter attack is greatly influencing the growth of military robots industry all over the world. A four-legged Harbinger was the first legged robot developed by robotic engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This project was funded by DARPA, which took nearly five years for its completion.  Several technologies, such as LiDAR sensor systems and Internal Measurement Unit (IMU) with unique algorithms were used to sense and make the robot function accordingly. Later, many startups, for instance Meka Robotics (US), Redwood Robotics (US), Boston Dynamics (US), Schaft (Japan), and others leaped into the robotics field and invented robots that were capable of performing tasks with greater competency.

Restraints: Technical inability and challenges

Absence of technical proficiency and negligible presence of any major defense department is hindering the growth of the market. On the other hand, hardware and software errors, occurrence of some unknown challenges such as high temperatures, breakdown of parts, loss of connection with the human operator, miscalculation of the command by the robot, software jam, etc. can also restrain the growth of the market. Currently, Engineers are working toward fixing these bugs and making advancements in the robotic technology.

Regions dominating the market

North American and European countries are highly involved in numerous conflicts such as the Afghanistan war, the Iraq war, the Syrian conflict, and others. Hence, the demand for military robots in these countries is relatively high, making them dominate the military robots industry. The US, France, the UK, and other countries are armed with advanced military robots and technologies. Some of the top companies in these regions that are dominating the military robots industry is General Dynamics Corporation (US), Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), Northrup Grumman Corporation (US), BAE Systems PLC (UK), The Boeing Company (US), and many more.

On the other hand, the military robots market in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East is growing at a steady rate because of increase in the demand for robots from armies and rising defense budgets of countries in these regions. Nevertheless, these countries are experiencing several issues in developing highly-effective robotic systems due to technical glitches and lack of expertise to solve them.

Segment Analysis

The military robots market is segmented based on platform, application, mode of operation, and region. By platform, the market is classified into land robots, marine robots, and airborne robots. By application, the market is divided into Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), EOD, search and rescue, transportation, combat support, mine clearance, firefighting, and others. By mode of operation, market is categorized into human operated and autonomous.  The market across various regions is analyzed in the report including North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East, and rest of the world.

Land robots segment anticipated to grow at a highest rate during the forecast period

The land robots segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR, during the forecast period.  This is mainly because of growing acceptance of land based military robots by numerous countries for security at borders, battleground activities, as well as to fight against terrorist.

Mine clearance segment projected to dominate the market for the forecast period

The mine clearance segment is expected to observe the highest growth during the forecast period. The growing risks from IED all over the world is one of the key factors anticipated to propel the market growth during the forecast period.

Europe predicted to experience highest growth the during the forecast period

The European market for military robots is expected to grow at the highest growth rate during the forecast period, followed by the Asia Pacific and North America. The growing demand of military robot by armies in the European region is mainly because of rapid developments and implementation of advanced military technologies in the region. At present, around 26 countries in Europe have active UAV and robotic systems. Some of these countries include Germany, the U.K., France, Russia, and many more. Other crucial factors pushing the growth of the Europe market are growing investments and development of high-end ground robots for transport services, investigations, and combat applications.

Key Market Players

• Some of the key players of the market are Lockheed Marin Corporation (US), Northrup Grumman Corporation (US), Kongsberg Gruppen (Norway), Elbit System Ltd. (Israel), Qinetiq (UK), Cobham PLC (UK), Thales Group (France), Saab AB (Sweden), General Dynamics Corporation (US), Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (Israel), Boston Dynamics (US), and Aerovironment Inc. (US).
• Industry Highlights
• In 2017, the Northrop Grumman Corporation received a contract from the US Navy for the procurement of three low-rate initial production Lot 2 MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft.
• In 2016, The company received a contract from the US Army to provide Sensor Systems - Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (SS-AISR) task order on the R2-3G indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity.
• In 2016, General Dynamics Mission Systems acquired Bluefin Robotics, a manufacturer of Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs) that perform a wide range of missions for the US military and commercial customers.
• In 2016, QinetiQ received a contract from Indian Navy (Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division) for continued production of the MK2 Man Transportable Robotic System (MTRS).
• In 2015, Northrop Grumman Corporation received a contract from the US Navy to build open-systems man-packable ground robots to help infantry units and neutralize Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other roadside bombs.

Key Benefits for Stakeholders

This study presents the analytical depiction of the military robots market along with the recent trends and future estimates to describe the forthcoming investment pockets.

The overall market potential is identified to comprehend the lucrative trends to help stakeholders obtain a stronger position in the market.

The report offers information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities with a detailed impact analysis.

The current market is quantitatively analyzed from 2017 to 2022 to highlight the financial competency of the industry.

Key Market Segments

By Platform

• Land Robots

  • Tracked
  • Wheeled
  • Wearable
  • Legged

• Marine Robots

  • Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)
  • Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs)
  • Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)

• Airborne Robots

  • Small UAV
  • Tactical UAV
  • Strategic UAV
  • Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)

By Application

• EOD
• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
• Search and Rescue
• Mine clearance
• Combat Support
• Transportation
• Firefighting
• Others

By Mode of Operation

• Human operated
• Autonomous

By Region

• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• North-America
• The Middle-East
• Rest of the World