Mine countermeasures are undergoing a major transformation, owing to the evolution of disruptive technologies, from traditional mine hunting with grey ship minehunters to unmanned autonomous vehicle utilization for the same. Unmanned and autonomous systems that operate above and below the water have steadily progressed over the previous decade, reaching degrees of maturity that are now capable of being used as a mine detector. Ensuring the safety of naval personnel and keeping them out of casualty are the most critical aspects of mine countermeasures. The use of unmanned and autonomous technologies is a huge step forward in this arena. This has influenced companies such as Thales group to offer mine detection products that can be easily integrated with autonomous vehicles.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION; L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.; MBDA, AND BAE SYSTEMS. – PROMINENT MARKET PARTICIPANTS IN MINE DETECTION SYSTEM MARKET
For instance, the Thales Group offers M-CUBE, which is a mine countermeasure management system. The open, modular architecture of the M-CUBE mission system ensures effective management of even the most complicated activities. Its full functionality, which incorporates cutting-edge technology, covers all elements of mine countermeasure missions, including planning, execution, supervision, assessment, debriefing, and training. M-CUBE is easily configured to fit any type of deployed sensor and comes with a variety of built-in support tools. It significantly minimizes operator workload while assuring maximum efficiency and safety. Similarly, in December 2020, The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of South Korea announced its intentions to begin indigenous development of a mine-detecting autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Thus, such factors are expected to contribute to the growth of the global mine detection system market over the forecast period.
The North America region comprises of the largest spending country in military technologies i.e. the US. The year on year significant investments toward military technologies by the US government, is one of the major reasons behind the continuous growth of military systems. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the US military expenditure stood at US$ 778 Billion, as per SIPRI. Moreover, the US is known for its military power and highest spending in defense technology. The US has high adoption of handheld and vehicle mounted mine detection systems which uses technologies such as optical sensors, radar systems, among other. The disruption in supply chain of mine detection system component halted the production of mine detection systems during the initial months of COVID-19 outbreak.
Northrop Grumman Corporation; L3Harris Technologies, Inc.; Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.; MBDA, and BAE Systems are some of the key market players operating in the global mine detection system market. The listing of key players is derived by considering multiple factors such as overall revenue, current mine detection system product portfolio, geographical reach, new product launches, market initiatives, and investment in technology up-gradation, partnerships, and other market-related activities. In addition to these players, there are several other important players operating in the mine detection system ecosystems which were studies analyzed during the course of this market research study, such as Chemring Group PLC; DCD Ltd.; Mine Kafon LAB; Raytheon Technologies Corporation; and Schiebel Corporation. Most of the market initiatives were observed in North America region, which have a high potential of market-related products, solutions, and services. Few of the important market initiatives from the industry are mentioned below:
| Year | Development | Region |
| 2021 | Raytheon Missiles & Defense demonstrated the AN/AQS-20C sonar mine-hunting system in an exercise at Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island for the United Kingdom and other potential international customers. | North America |
| 2020 | Northrop Grumman Corporation’s AQS-24 mine hunting sonar completed initial in-water testing of a next-generation Deploy and Retrieval & payload. Operated from the Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vessel (MCM USV), the AQS-24 D&R demonstrated the unmanned operations needed to perform a mine-hunting mission off the MCM Mission Package aboard the littoral combat ship (LCS). | North America |
