The aerospace and defence industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the need to lower operational costs, larger consumer trends, and electrification, and growing importance of technologies such as hydrogen and electric aircraft and advanced materials. In the last three years alone, there have been over 174,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defence industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Environment Sustainability in Aerospace, Defence & Security: EV charging smart grids.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
180+ innovations will shape the aerospace and defence industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the aerospace and defence industry using innovation intensity models built on over 262,000 patents, there are 180+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, hydrogen fuel cells, aircraft powertrain control, and fuel cells for aircraft are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. EV charging stations, battery management systems, and electric aircraft charging interfaces are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are fuselage frame modelling and powered wheels for aircraft landing, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for environmental sustainability in the aerospace and defence industry

EV charging smart grids is a key innovation area in environmental sustainability
The smart grid, a power grid that uses digital communication technology to detect and respond to changes in local usage, is the foundation that enables the introduction of electric vehicles into the market. EV charging stations consist only of power converter topologies. They are connected to the existing power grid using a rectifier and a DC converter to transfer energy between the electric vehicle and the existing power grid and vice versa.
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 70+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defence companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of EV charging smart grids.
Key players in EV charging smart grids – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defence industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to EV charging smart grids
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
SZ DJI Technology is one of the leading patent filers in EV charging smart grids. The company, which manufactures COTS drones for personal, civil, and industrial use, is investing in EV charging smart grids to enhance the usability of its products for a greater range of uses in everyday life. Other key patent filers include Boeing, Wing Aviation, and IHI.
In terms of application diversity, Nio leads the pack. Kibbutz Yizreel Holdings and Deutsche Poststood are in the second and third positions respectively. Regarding geographic reach, Semiconductor Energy Laboratory holds the most widely relevant patents, followed by Deutsche Post and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Mass use of small, unmanned platforms for roles such as delivery and logistics requires underlying supporting infrastructure including efficient recharging grids.
To further understand how electric vehicles are disrupting the aerospace and defence industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Thematic Research - Electric Vehicles in Defense.