APO RESEARCH · REPORT
Sonobuoy
A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy (typically 13 cm or 5 in, in diameter and 91 cm or 3 ft long) expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research. A tactical sonar system for transmitting submarine activity, the sonobuoy is a core technology for anti-submarine warfare.
Product & engineering
Understand the product.
A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy (typically 13 cm or 5 in, in diameter and 91 cm or 3 ft long) expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research. A tactical sonar system for transmitting submarine activity, the sonobuoy is a core technology for anti-submarine warfare.
Selected research
Industry Research
Sonobuoy Industry Research Report 2026
Market perspective
A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy (typically 13 cm or 5 in, in diameter and 91 cm or 3 ft long) expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research. A tactical sonar system for transmitting submarine activity, the sonobuoy is a core technology for anti-submarine warfare.
The major manufacturers of sonobuoys are Sparton, Ultra Electronics, and Thales, which together account for more than 90% of the market.
North America is the largest market, accounting for about 70%.
Read the full market overview
Report Scope
This report quantifies the global Sonobuoy market in revenue (US$ million) and, where applicable, sales volume (K Units), using 2025 as the base year and providing annual historical and forecast data for 2021–2032.
It standardizes definitions of types and applications, harmonizes vendor attribution, and presents comparable time series by company, type, application, and region/country, including indicative price bands (US$/K Units) and concentration ratios (CR5/CR10).
The outputs are intended to support strategy development, budgeting, and performance benchmarking for manufacturers, new entrants, channel partners, and investors; the report also reviews technology shifts and notable product introductions relevant to Sonobuoy.
Key Companies & Market Share Insights
This section profiles leading manufacturers, combining 2021–2025 results with a 2026–2032 outlook. It reports revenue, market share, price bands, product and application mix, regional and channel mix, and key developments (M&A, capacity additions, certifications). It also provides global revenue, average price, and—where applicable—sales volume by manufacturer, and calculates CR5/CR10 and rank changes to support comparative benchmarking.
Sonobuoy Market by Company
Sparton
Ultra Electronics
Thales
Sonobuoy Segment by Type
Active Sonobuoy
Passive Sonobuoy
Special Purpose Sonobuoy
Sonobuoy Segment by Application
Defense
Civil
Sonobuoy Segment by Region
North America
United States
Canada
Mexico
Europe
Germany
France
U.K.
Italy
Russia
Spain
Netherlands
Switzerland
Sweden
Poland
Asia-Pacific
China
Japan
South Korea
India
Australia
Taiwan
Southeast Asia
South America
Brazil
Argentina
Chile
Colombia
Middle East & Africa
Egypt
South Africa
Israel
Türkiye
GCC Countries
Key Drivers & Barriers
High-impact rendering factors and drivers have been studied in this report to aid the readers to understand the general development. Moreover, the report includes restraints and challenges that may act as stumbling blocks on the way of the players. This will assist the users to be attentive and make informed decisions related to business. Specialists have also laid their focus on the upcoming business prospects.
Reasons to Buy This Report
1. This report will help the readers to understand the competition within the industries and strategies for the competitive environment to enhance the potential profit. The report also focuses on the competitive landscape of the global Sonobuoy market, and introduces in detail the market share, industry ranking, competitor ecosystem, market performance, new product development, operation situation, expansion, and acquisition. etc. of the main players, which helps the readers to identify the main competitors and deeply understand the competition pattern of the market.
2. This report will help stakeholders to understand the global industry status and trends of Sonobuoy and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.
3. This report will help stakeholders to understand competitors better and gain more insights to strengthen their position in their businesses. The competitive landscape section includes the market share and rank (in volume and value), competitor ecosystem, new product development, expansion, and acquisition.
4. This report stays updated with novel technology integration, features, and the latest developments in the market
5. This report helps stakeholders to gain insights into which regions to target globally
6. This report helps stakeholders to gain insights into the end-user perception concerning the adoption of Sonobuoy.
7. This report helps stakeholders to identify some of the key players in the market and understand their valuable contribution.
Chapter Outline
Chapter 1: Research objectives, research methods, data sources, data cross-validation;
Chapter 2: Introduces the report scope of the report, executive summary of different market segments (by region, product type, application, etc), including the market size of each market segment, future development potential, and so on. It offers a high-level view of the current state of the market and its likely evolution in the short to mid-term, and long term.
Chapter 3: Detailed analysis of Sonobuoy manufacturers competitive landscape, price, production and value market share, latest development plan, merger, and acquisition information, etc.
Chapter 4: Provides profiles of key players, introducing the basic situation of the main companies in the market in detail, including product production/output, value, price, gross margin, product introduction, recent development, etc.
Chapter 5: Production/output, value of Sonobuoy by region/country. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region in the next six years.
Chapter 6: Consumption of Sonobuoy in regional level and country level. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region and its main countries and introduces the market development, future development prospects, market space, and production of each country in the world.
Chapter 7: Provides the analysis of various market segments by type, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different market segments.
Chapter 8: Provides the analysis of various market segments by application, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different downstream markets.
Chapter 9: Analysis of industrial chain, including the upstream and downstream of the industry.
Chapter 10: Introduces the market dynamics, latest developments of the market, the driving factors and restrictive factors of the market, the challenges and risks faced by manufacturers in the industry, and the analysis of relevant policies in the industry.
Chapter 11: The main points and conclusions of the report.
More report detail
Tables and figures
Scope & coverage.
Types
- Active Sonobuoy
- Passive Sonobuoy
- Special Purpose Sonobuoy
Applications
- Defense
- Civil
Companies covered
- Sparton
- Ultra Electronics
- Thales
Inside the report.
1 Preface
- 1.1 Scope of Report
- 1.2 Reasons for Doing This Study
- 1.3 Research Methodology
- 1.4 Research Process
- 1.5 Data Source
- 1.5.1 Secondary Sources
- 1.5.2 Primary Sources
2 Market Overview
- 2.1 Product Definition
- 2.2 Sonobuoy by Type
- 2.2.1 Market Value Comparison by Type (2021 VS 2025 VS 2032) & (US$ Million)
- 2.2.2 Active Sonobuoy
- 2.2.3 Passive Sonobuoy
- 2.2.4 Special Purpose Sonobuoy
- 2.3 Sonobuoy by Application
- 2.3.1 Market Value Comparison by Application (2021 VS 2025 VS 2032) & (US$ Million)
- 2.3.2 Defense
- 2.3.3 Civil
- 2.4 Global Market Growth Prospects
- 2.4.1 Global Sonobuoy Production Value Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
- 2.4.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Capacity Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
- 2.4.3 Global Sonobuoy Production Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
- 2.4.4 Global Sonobuoy Market Average Price (2021-2032)
3 Market Competitive Landscape by Manufacturers
- 3.1 Global Sonobuoy Production by Manufacturers (2021-2026)
- 3.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Manufacturers (2021-2026)
- 3.3 Global Sonobuoy Average Price by Manufacturers (2021-2026)
- 3.4 Global Sonobuoy Industry Manufacturers Ranking, 2024 VS 2025 VS 2026
- 3.5 Global Sonobuoy Key Manufacturers, Manufacturing Sites & Headquarters
- 3.6 Global Sonobuoy Manufacturers, Product Type & Application
- 3.7 Global Sonobuoy Manufacturers Established Date
- 3.8 Global Sonobuoy Market CR5 and HHI
- 3.9 Global Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisition
4 Manufacturers Profiled
- 4.1 Sparton
- 4.1.1 Sparton Sonobuoy Company Information
- 4.1.2 Sparton Sonobuoy Business Overview
- 4.1.3 Sparton Sonobuoy Production, Value and Gross Margin (2021-2026)
- 4.1.4 Sparton Product Portfolio
- 4.1.5 Sparton Recent Developments
- 4.2 Ultra Electronics
- 4.2.1 Ultra Electronics Sonobuoy Company Information
- 4.2.2 Ultra Electronics Sonobuoy Business Overview
- 4.2.3 Ultra Electronics Sonobuoy Production, Value and Gross Margin (2021-2026)
- 4.2.4 Ultra Electronics Product Portfolio
- 4.2.5 Ultra Electronics Recent Developments
- 4.3 Thales
- 4.3.1 Thales Sonobuoy Company Information
- 4.3.2 Thales Sonobuoy Business Overview
- 4.3.3 Thales Sonobuoy Production, Value and Gross Margin (2021-2026)
- 4.3.4 Thales Product Portfolio
- 4.3.5 Thales Recent Developments
5 Global Sonobuoy Production by Region
- 5.1 Global Sonobuoy Production Estimates and Forecasts by Region: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 5.2 Global Sonobuoy Production by Region: 2021-2032
- 5.2.1 Global Sonobuoy Production by Region: 2021-2026
- 5.2.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Forecast by Region (2027-2032)
- 5.3 Global Sonobuoy Production Value Estimates and Forecasts by Region: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 5.4 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Region: 2021-2032
- 5.4.1 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Region: 2021-2026
- 5.4.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Value Forecast by Region (2027-2032)
- 5.5 Global Sonobuoy Market Price Analysis by Region (2021-2026)
- 5.6 Global Sonobuoy Production and Value, YOY Growth
- 5.6.1 North America Sonobuoy Production Value Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
- 5.6.2 Europe Sonobuoy Production Value Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
- 5.6.3 China Sonobuoy Production Value Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
- 5.6.4 Japan Sonobuoy Production Value Estimates and Forecasts (2021-2032)
6 Global Sonobuoy Consumption by Region
- 6.1 Global Sonobuoy Consumption Estimates and Forecasts by Region: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 6.2 Global Sonobuoy Consumption by Region (2021-2032)
- 6.2.1 Global Sonobuoy Consumption by Region: 2021-2026
- 6.2.2 Global Sonobuoy Forecasted Consumption by Region (2027-2032)
- 6.3 North America
- 6.3.1 North America Sonobuoy Consumption Growth Rate by Country: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 6.3.2 North America Sonobuoy Consumption by Country (2021-2032)
- 6.3.3 United States
- 6.3.4 Canada
- 6.3.5 Mexico
- 6.4 Europe
- 6.4.1 Europe Sonobuoy Consumption Growth Rate by Country: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 6.4.2 Europe Sonobuoy Consumption by Country (2021-2032)
- 6.4.3 Germany
- 6.4.4 France
- 6.4.5 U.K.
- 6.4.6 Italy
- 6.4.7 Russia
- 6.4.8 Spain
- 6.4.9 Netherlands
- 6.4.10 Switzerland
- 6.4.11 Sweden
- 6.4.12 Poland
- 6.5 Asia Pacific
- 6.5.1 Asia Pacific Sonobuoy Consumption Growth Rate by Country: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 6.5.2 Asia Pacific Sonobuoy Consumption by Country (2021-2032)
- 6.5.3 China
- 6.5.4 Japan
- 6.5.5 South Korea
- 6.5.6 India
- 6.5.7 Australia
- 6.5.8 Taiwan
- 6.5.9 Southeast Asia
- 6.6 South America, Middle East & Africa
- 6.6.1 South America, Middle East & Africa Sonobuoy Consumption Growth Rate by Country: 2021 VS 2025 VS 2032
- 6.6.2 South America, Middle East & Africa Sonobuoy Consumption by Country (2021-2032)
- 6.6.3 Brazil
- 6.6.4 Argentina
- 6.6.5 Chile
- 6.6.6 Turkey
- 6.6.7 GCC Countries
7 Segment by Type
- 7.1 Global Sonobuoy Production by Type (2021-2032)
- 7.1.1 Global Sonobuoy Production by Type (2021-2032) & (K Units)
- 7.1.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Market Share by Type (2021-2032)
- 7.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Type (2021-2032)
- 7.2.1 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Type (2021-2032) & (US$ Million)
- 7.2.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Value Market Share by Type (2021-2032)
- 7.3 Global Sonobuoy Price by Type (2021-2032)
8 Segment by Application
- 8.1 Global Sonobuoy Production by Application (2021-2032)
- 8.1.1 Global Sonobuoy Production by Application (2021-2032) & (K Units)
- 8.1.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Market Share by Application (2021-2032)
- 8.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Application (2021-2032)
- 8.2.1 Global Sonobuoy Production Value by Application (2021-2032) & (US$ Million)
- 8.2.2 Global Sonobuoy Production Value Market Share by Application (2021-2032)
- 8.3 Global Sonobuoy Price by Application (2021-2032)
9 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis of the Market
- 9.1 Sonobuoy Value Chain Analysis
- 9.1.1 Sonobuoy Key Raw Materials
- 9.1.2 Raw Materials Key Suppliers
- 9.1.3 Sonobuoy Production Mode & Process
- 9.2 Sonobuoy Sales Channels Analysis
- 9.2.1 Direct Comparison with Distribution Share
- 9.2.2 Sonobuoy Distributors
- 9.2.3 Sonobuoy Customers
10 Global Sonobuoy Analyzing Market Dynamics
- 10.1 Sonobuoy Industry Trends
- 10.2 Sonobuoy Industry Drivers
- 10.3 Sonobuoy Industry Opportunities and Challenges
- 10.4 Sonobuoy Industry Restraints
11 Report Conclusion
12 Disclaimer
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