Sector deep dive: Aerospace and defence

While this is a sector with a limited number of players in the top 100, it has strong representation from some leading European-based businesses. These include Safran, Thales and Rolls Royce, with US giants Raytheon and Boeing also making the list. In 2020 Raytheon completed its merger with United Technologies – the combined business boasting a patent portfolio of significant depth and breadth. In fact, the company falls just outside the top 10 largest patent owners in the United States.

The areas of research that feature prominently among the largest European patent owners in this space include structural design and light weighting, propulsion systems, HVAC systems and navigation and signalling.

Table 1. Aerospace and defence players from top 100

Company name	EU grants	Industry	Country of origin
Safran	13,401	Aerospace and defence	France
GZBV (Airbus)	11,221	Aerospace and defence	Netherlands
Raytheon Technologies	10,779	Aerospace and defence	United States
Thales	7,380	Aerospace and defence	France
The Boeing Company	5,630	Aerospace and defence	United States
Rolls-Royce Holdings	3,915	Aerospace and defence	United Kingdom

Table 2. Technology trends

Top trends	Top players	Active grants	Top players 2019-2020	Active grants 2019-2020	Key areas	Other key players
Signalling and control	Airbus	961	Airbus	279	Aircraft indicators, flight control instrumentation, remote-controlled vehicle, onboard signalling and control instrumentation, aircraft communications, simultaneous control of multiple aircrafts, landing gear, course control, power electronics, HUD instrumentation for control, LiDAR/SONAR-based detection, airborne stations, air traffic control systems	General Electric, Sony, Alphabet
	Boeing	554	Boeing	206
	Honeywell	459	Honeywell	135
	Thales	447	Safran	107
	Safran	337	Raytheon Technologies	105
Navigation controls	Thales	265	Honeywell	66	Flight path control, aircraft navigation, anti-collision manoeuvre, landing navigation	Qualcomm, Volkswagen, General Electric
	Honeywell	222	Thales	64
	Airbus	215	Airbus	51
	Boeing	119	Boeing	50
	Safran	69	Safran	30
Propulsion systems and HVAC	Raytheon Technologies	1,200	Raytheon Technologies	661	Transmission other electric/steam, aircraft HVAC, auxiliary power systems, thrust controlling arrangements, aircraft combustion engine, gas turbine design	General Electric, Siemens
	Safran	1,136	Safran	379
	Airbus	629	Rolls-Royce	225
	Rolls-Royce	443	Airbus	159
	Boeing	197	Boeing	91
Aircraft structural and wing design	Airbus	2,349	Airbus	577	Aircraft wing design, mounting of propulsion systems, aircraft manufacturing/assembly, nozzle designs, aircraft component assembly, aircraft interiors, protection and safety equipment, aerodynamics, floor structures and insulations, storage compartments, aircraft exterior design, 3D printing/additive manufacturing of aircraft parts, aircraft maintenance	General Electric, Siemens, HP
	Safran	1,068	Boeing	411
	Boeing	977	Raytheon Technologies	319
	Raytheon Technologies	654	Safran	301