The aerospace and defense industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the uptake of advanced technology, and growing importance of technologies such as hypersonics and advanced materials. In the last three years alone, there have been over 84,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defense industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Batteries in defense: battery-powered aircraftsBuy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 260,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the aerospace and defense industry, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Battery-powered aircraft is a key innovation area in batteries 

Battery-powered aircraft comprise electric aircraft as well as battery-powered drones and is a fast-growing industry. Advances in battery tech are enabling its development, with increased investment in sustainability driving growth. 

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 135+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defense companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of battery-powered aircraft.

Key players in battery-powered aircraft – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defense industry   

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to battery-powered aircraft

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
RTX 111 Unlock Company Profile
Airbus 103 Unlock Company Profile
General Electric 83 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Motor 80 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 77 Unlock Company Profile
The Boeing 77 Unlock Company Profile
Rolls-Royce 73 Unlock Company Profile
Kia 48 Unlock Company Profile
SZ DJI Technology 42 Unlock Company Profile
Workhorse Group 40 Unlock Company Profile
Textron 39 Unlock Company Profile
Kitty Hawk 39 Unlock Company Profile
Leonardo 34 Unlock Company Profile
Safran 33 Unlock Company Profile
SoftBank Group 29 Unlock Company Profile
Hitachi 27 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 23 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil 22 Unlock Company Profile
General Motors 21 Unlock Company Profile
Wisk Aero 19 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens 18 Unlock Company Profile
Archer Aviation 16 Unlock Company Profile
Joby Aviation 16 Unlock Company Profile
Denso 15 Unlock Company Profile
Lockheed Martin 14 Unlock Company Profile
H3 Dynamics 14 Unlock Company Profile
H55 14 Unlock Company Profile
BAE Systems 13 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 13 Unlock Company Profile
Nileworks 13 Unlock Company Profile
VoltAero 12 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 11 Unlock Company Profile
Nidec 11 Unlock Company Profile
HADAL 11 Unlock Company Profile
Wing Aviation 9 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens Energy 9 Unlock Company Profile
LENR Cars 9 Unlock Company Profile
Melrose Industries 8 Unlock Company Profile
LG 8 Unlock Company Profile
Lilium 8 Unlock Company Profile
Mercedes-Benz Group 7 Unlock Company Profile
Rakuten Group 7 Unlock Company Profile
SpearUAV 7 Unlock Company Profile
Beam Global 6 Unlock Company Profile
Amazon.com 6 Unlock Company Profile
KDDI 6 Unlock Company Profile
Flyability 6 Unlock Company Profile
ArianeGroup 6 Unlock Company Profile
Laki Power ehf 6 Unlock Company Profile
Guangzhou Xaircraft Technology 6 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) is the leading patent filer in battery powered aircraft, followed by Airbus and Hyundai Motor.

In June 2023, Raytheon achieved a critical milestone for its hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program, successfully completing a rated power test of the 1MW electric motor. The motor will be combined with a highly efficient thermal engine, as part of a hybrid-electric propulsion system.

Hyundai Motor has a division for eVTOL aircraft, which have been heralded by some as the future of transportation. It is aiming to fully commercialize its aircraft by 2028 and has secured backing from the UK government to develop a hub for eVTOL launch, which will facilitate air taxis and autonomous delivery drones.

Airbus has invested in several sustainable solutions including electric aircraft. The company aims to create an industry standard for electric aircraft and facilitate regulatory acceptable of alternative propulsion. Other key patent filers in the industry include General Electric, Honda Motor, and Boeing.

In terms of application diversity, Hyundai Motor leads, followed by Hitachi and Toyota Motor. By geographic reach, Workhorse leads, followed by Sony Group and Nileworks.

This theme is rapidly advancing and will see significant patent growth in coming years, with developments in battery tech driving uptake. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defense industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Aerospace & Defense.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.