Sonar System Market Report

Market Insights

The global sonar system market was estimated to grow from US$ 5.5 billion in 2021 to reach US$ ~7.9 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 2.7% during the forecast period.

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What is SONAR?

Sonar devices are used to navigate or detect underwater impediments to prevent shipwrecking as ships and other naval vessels must travel a great distance. The armed forces' expanding naval fleet, together with the purchases of new ships and submarines and the upgrade plans for current navy vessels, are fueling the expansion of the sonar systems industry. In the high-end shipping sector, funding is a crucial aspect that must be considered, as does the lack of it in many emerging and undeveloped countries.

Another issue impeding the growth of the worldwide sonar systems engineering market is a lack of knowledge. In anti-submarine warfare, a variety of sensors and weapon systems are used. Personnel employing these technologies must receive in-depth training in order to develop the necessary technical skills. In a typical ASW approach, the target submarine is first detected, then classified, located, and tracked. End users must undergo a difficult training process to properly understand how these systems work.

Covid-19 Impact

For numerous businesses, COVID-19 has created several difficulties. The maritime sector is not an exception. Numerous nations have decreased their defense budgets due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Most of the research initiatives are placed on hold as a result. Additionally, there has been a decrease in the export of military and commercial boats to several Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American nations. All of these possibilities impact the sonar system's evolution.

Key Players

The following are the major players in the market:

• DSIT (Israel)
• Ultra Electronics (UK)
• ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH (Germany)
• Aselsan (Turkey)
• Raytheon Company (US)
• Furuno (Japan)
• Kongsberg Gruppen ASA (Norway)
• Teledyne Technologies Inc. (US)
• Sonardyne (UK)
• Japan Radio Company (Japan)
• Navico (Norway)
• FLIR Systems (US)
• Thales (France)
• EdgeTech (US)
• Lockheed Martin (US)
• L-3 Technologies Inc. (US)

There is stiff competition in the market. The growth of the companies is directly dependent on the industry conditions and government support. These companies differentiate their sonar system based on their quality and penetration in the target and emerging markets. Also, there is also an increase in investments from several players in the R&D for the development of technologically advanced equipment, with an aim to cater to the growing demand for innovative products. For instance -

• In 2021, we developed the new Echoscope PIPE Real-Time XYZ series sonar to make it easier for OEMs and system integrators to include our special real-time volumetric imaging sonars. This XYZ data is produced in real-time by the PIPE Real-Time XYZ series sonar as part of the beamforming picture process output.
• In 2020, the WINGHEAD dual-head design has several benefits for bathymetric surveys. A total of 2,048 genuine soundings, 1024 for each of the NORBIT WINGHEAD multibeam echosounders, are available to the user. They may be used in many ways to widen the viewable sector or boost along-track sounding density.

Market Dynamics

The market for sonar systems will be driven by the consistent expansion in the deliveries of military vessels. Few of the most cutting-edge sonar systems are used by military warships to achieve the maximum level of accuracy. Sonar systems are employed on military ships for various purposes, including diver detection, mine detection, seabed topography exploration, anti-submarine warfare, and port security.

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For example, submarines utilize passive sonar to enter enemy seas unnoticed, but ships like frigates and corvettes employ multi-static sonar to find the enemy. Different types of ships use different sonar for different applications. The rising number of military ship deliveries will create ideal circumstances for the sonar systems market to expand in the upcoming years.

The availability of diverse ship types has significantly and consistently increased to suit the demands of the worldwide target audience, which is one of the key elements that will fuel demand for sonar system software.

Some encouraging factors for the market include the government's increasing assistance in the form of supporting research about the shipping sector. Additionally, the growing working population, their earnings, and their increased capacity to spend their discretionary money will all benefit the growth of the worldwide market throughout the forecast period, which will finish in 2028.

Several investments/guidelines in the market have been directed in recent years, which would boost the overall market. Some of them are:

• Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) or underwater drone are remotely operated machines utilized in marine environments for various functions, including fish behavior monitoring, mine detection, and seabed landscape exploration. As more armies and other groups express interest in them, these UUVs are evolving quickly. Because UUVs are small, the sonar systems employed in them must likewise be small in size and highly modern to function well under remote control. As a result, the market for sonar systems has the chance to both change and expand.

Segment Analysis

By Application Type

The market is segmented into anti-submarine warfare, port security, mine detection & countermeasure systems, search & rescue, navigation, diver detection, seabed terrain investigation, scientific, and others.

By Platform Type

The market is segmented into commercial vessels, defence vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVS), aircrafts, and ports. One of the most popular types of sonar is hull-mounted sonar. Sonars affixed to the ship's hull are fastened there. Sonar installed on the ship's hull is utilised for various operations, including diver identification, fish detection, anti-submarine warfare, and seabed monitoring. Further divisions of hull-mounted sonar include echosounders, omnidirectional sonar, and forward-looking sonar.

Regional Analysis

North America is likely to maintain its supremacy in the global sonar system market throughout the forecast period.  The U.S. made significant efforts to create technologically advanced weapon stations, which allowed North America to lead the market in 2021.

• In contrast, Europe's market is expected to grow more quickly in the future because of the ongoing focus on weaponry upgrades.
• In defence and maritime applications, sonar systems are utilized for a variety of operations including surveillance, navigation, tracking, etc.
• Sonar is used in a variety of defence and business applications, such as port security, anti-submarine warfare, fishing, mine detection, and seabed terrain monitoring.

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Concurrently, Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth in the global market during the forecast period.  The growth can be attributed to the increasing investments by China, India, and Japan in the defense industry. Globally China’s defense budget stands second after the US.

• Due to a significant naval force increase under the PLAN, China has surpassed Russia as the country with the biggest fleet of frigates and submarines worldwide.
• The development of China's anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, from coastal defence to blue-water operations, is another priority.
• To improve their situational awareness at sea, other nations are also expanding their spending on ASW gear like sonar systems.

Market Segmentation

The report provides detailed insights into the market dynamics to enable informed business decision-making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market. 

The market is segmented into the following categories.

By Application Type

• anti-submarine warfare,
• port security, mine detection & countermeasure systems,
• search & rescue,
• navigation,
• diver detection,
• seabed terrain investigation,
• scientific,
• others

By Platform Type

• Commercial vessels,
• Defence vessels,
• Unmanned Underwater Vehicles,
• Aircrafts, and Ports

Region

• North America 
• Europe 
• Asia-Pacific 
• Rest of the World

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Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way and structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

• Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis
• Environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis
• Trends and forecast analysis
• Segment trends and forecast
• Competitive landscape and dynamics: Share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.
• Attractive segments and associated growth opportunities
• Emerging trends
• Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players
• Key success factors

Research Methodology

This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools. More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact book, press release, journals, investor presentation, white papers, patents, and articles have been leveraged to gather the data. We conducted more than 10 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in all four regions and with industry experts to obtain both the qualitative and quantitative insights.

Recent Industry Development

October 2022- US Navy asks Lockheed Martin to continue development of passive sonar for surface vessels

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems will carry on the development, integration, manufacture, production, and testing of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 surface ship-installed undersea warfare combat system for the USN (92%) and Royal Australian Navy (8%). The company received a contract modification worth up to $253.89 million on 30 September. Other aspects of the modification include the procurement of TB-37A multifunction towed array components and the inclusion of more Technical Insertion-22 (TI-22) hardware. Work is scheduled for completion by March 2023 or March 2026 if all options are exercised. Read More.

June 2021- Boeing to provide upgrades to airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sonar system aboard Navy's P-8A Poseidon

Military avionics experts at the Boeing Co. will provide upgrades to a long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW) system aboard the U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft under terms of a $24 million order announced in late May.Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in Huntington Beach, Calif., to provide additional software builds for the Multi-static Active Coherent Enhancements (MAC-E) program. The MAC-E project involves upgrades and technology insertion for the Navy's Multistatic Active Coherent Capability (MAC), a sonar subsystem that uses the SSQ-125 sonobuoy to generate loud sounds electronically rather than with small explosive charges. Read More.