Airborne Detection Systems for Submarines Market, by Type (Sonobuoys, Dipping Sonars, Radars, Magnetic Anomaly Detection Systems), by Geography (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, Sweden, China, India, Japan, South Korea) – Global Market Size, Share, Development, Growth, and Demand Forecast, 2016–2023

Airborne Detection Systems for Submarines Market Overview

The global airborne detection systems for submarines market size is estimated to be valued at $611.8 million in 2017, and is projected to witness a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period. The increasing defense budget as a part of the defense modernization programme, growing underwater threats, and wars and conflicts are the major forces driving the growth of the industry. There are numerous underwater dangers, including the threats from the submarines configured for strike missions. Therefore, to protect the country from such undersea threats, the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) becomes the most important activity. There are many countries which hold a large fleet of submarines in order to strengthen their underwater defense capabilities.

Global Airborne Detection Systems for Submarines Market, BY Type, $M (2016-2023)

On the basis of type, the airborne detection systems for submarines market is categorized into sonobuoys, dipping sonars, radars, and magnetic anomaly detection systems. The sonobuoy detection systems for submarines held the largest in the market share, with an estimated contribution of more than 45.0% in 2017. The advantages of sonobuoys, such as low cost and quick deployment over other detection systems, have benefited the growth of this category in the market. Numerous countries have deployed sonobuoys for detecting and tracking submarines. Many large as well as small economies across the globe, make use of sonobuoys for submarine detection, under their naval applications.

North America held the largest market share in the airborne detection systems for submarines market, with an estimated contribution of more than 60.0% in 2017. The U.S. acquired the largest market share in this region, due to its strong and advanced defense base. The country is considered to be one of the most powerful nations when it comes to the defensive capabilities. Rising international conflicts raise security concerns in the nation, which in turn increases the need for defense products and services, including airborne detection systems for submarines, in the country.

Airborne Detection Systems for Submarines Market Dynamics

Growing defense budget in major economies is the major trend witnessed in the airborne detection systems for submarines market. The increase in budget for defense applications is fueling the growth of the industry. However, the development of extremely silent submarines is expected to restrain the market growth.

Drivers

Growing defense budget is the one of the major drivers for the growth of the airborne detection systems for submarines market. Various countries across the globe have modernized their defense programs for the procurement of defense related products and services, in order to strengthen their economy. Almost all countries’ defense spending includes a separate budget for marine forces, that involve expenditure for weapons, lethal systems, arms and other components that are used by the navy. Nations across the globe focus on protecting themselves from all kinds of enemy attacks, including the threats from underwater systems.

For instance, the U.S. Department of Defense requested a budget of $639.1 billion for FY2018, which represents 8.9% increase from the year 2017. The increased defense budget includes 27% budget for the U.S. Marine Corps, that could reach up to $2.13 billion in 2018 from $1.68 billion in 2017. Moreover, various emerging economies in Asia-Pacific have initiated defense modernization programs, which in turn has increased the military spending for air, land, and marine. The increasing defense spending impacts the budget for the naval forces, resulting in the procurement of advanced detection systems for submarines; thereby resulting in the growth of the airborne detection systems for submarines market.

Restraints

The development of extremely silent submarine is one of the major restraints for the growth of the airborne detection systems for submarines market. Continuous efforts have been employed in the research and development of acoustic and fluid cloaking methods that could disable the submarine detection systems. Metamaterials have been used in the acoustic cloak method because of their advantageous natural properties, such as magnetism or refraction that bends the sound waves around the submarine over and again, eliminating the threat from sonars.

Moreover, the fluid cloak method slows down the water flow around the submarine by removing the turbulences, and makes it undetectable to the radars. Hence, the development of such kind of methods pose challenges to the airborne detection systems for submarines market.

Opportunity

Submarine modernization programs is a key opportunity for the players in the airborne detection systems for submarines market. The naval forces of various nations are continuously focusing on modernizing their submarine fleet. The installation of the latest technologies in submarines could strengthen the existing submarine fleet of some of the nations, which in turn would create strong competition amongst various nations. Therefore, most of the government agencies are looking for the latest developments in submarine technologies, which increases the global submarine fleet; thus, increasing the scope for these detection systems.

Airborne Detection Systems for Submarines Market Competitive Landscape

Some of the major players operating in the global airborne detection systems for submarines industry are Thales Group, Ultra Electronics Holdings plc, L3 Ocean systems, Atlas Elektronik GmbH, BAE Systems, Saab AB, Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, and General Dynamics Corporation.