The aerospace and defense industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the increasing capability and applicability of drones, coupled with falling costs, and the growing importance of technologies such as multi-sensor data fusion, drone modularization, and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). In the last three years alone, there have been over 237,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defense industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Drones in defense: solar drones. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 206,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the aerospace and defense industry, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Solar drones is a key innovation area in drones
Solar drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are powered by solar energy. They utilize solar panels or solar cells to capture sunlight and convert it into electrical energy, which is then used to power the drone’s propulsion system. Solar drones are designed to fly for extended periods without the need for refueling or recharging, making them a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional drones.
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 30+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defense companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of solar drones.
Key players in solar drones – 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 solar drones
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Korea Aerospace Industries | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Thales | 32 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Lockheed Martin | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TCOM | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IHI | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CJ | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Texas Instruments | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TKC | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CEA | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Northrop Grumman | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gandini | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| U.S. Department of Defence | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| M&T Bank | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Electric | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Raytheon Technologies | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Boeing | 53 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Maxar Technologies | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Airbus | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| EMCORE | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Composite Technology Development | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HADAL | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Spire Global | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SolAero Technologies | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Raytheon | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Comat | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Liweijia | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HD Hyundai | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Triad National Security | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| LAT | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hanwha Aerospace | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ThayerMahan | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Solaero Solar Power | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jinling Inst Technology | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Aerospace Equipments Manufacturer | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shenzhen Kuang-Chi Spatial Technology | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Redwire | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Boeing is one of the leading patent filers in solar drones. Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of Boeing that specializes in UAVs, has been granted patents for a solar-powered aircraft comprising a fixed wing panel, a motor-driven propeller, and a plurality of secondary wing panels, with each secondary wing panel comprising an array of solar panels on its surface and configured to rotate at least 180 degrees about its longitudinal pivot axis. It also holds a patent for a solar power system comprising a solar panel, a group of voltage controllable battery packs, and an electric motor connected to a propeller.
Aurora Flight Sciences is developing the Odysseus high-altitude long-endurance (HALE), solar-powered UAV, which will be powered by lightweight advanced solar cells to provide endurance and autonomy to a wide variety of missions and operations, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), weather and climate research, and communications.
Some other key patent filers in this space include Thales, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin.
In terms of application diversity, Texas Instruments, ThayerMahan, and Triad National Security are some of the leading patent filers. By means of geographic reach, some of the leading patent filers include Texas Instruments, Thales, and Airbus.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defense industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Drones in Aerospace and 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.
