The aerospace and defense industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by environmental concerns, geopolitical competition, modernization initiatives and the growing importance of technologies such as additive manufacturing, advanced materials, digital design, and nanotechnologies. 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 Advanced materials in defense: conductive composites. 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.

Conductive composites is a key innovation area in advanced materials

Conductive composites refer to materials that exhibit both electrical conductivity and material properties of traditional composites. Whilst many different composites have some degree of conductivity, a ‘conductive composite’ is better understood as one that can achieve stable and relatively high electric conduction, for specific practical applications. They are widely used in various industries for their ability to combine the benefits of both electrical conductivity and mechanical rigidity. Some key areas of focus for the conductive composites space in the coming years will be research into alternatives to the cement and graphite powder raw materials that are often used today, as they can grow expensive for scaled production and are not environmentally sustainable.

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 50+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defense companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of conductive composites.

Key players in conductive composites – 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 conductive composites

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
COSCO Shipping 8 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Boshoku 10 Unlock Company Profile
HEICO 2 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical 8 Unlock Company Profile
Sekisui Chemical 10 Unlock Company Profile
Techno Coatings 2 Unlock Company Profile
Israel Aerospace Industries 7 Unlock Company Profile
Trinseo 6 Unlock Company Profile
Yupo 9 Unlock Company Profile
Plasmatreat 1 Unlock Company Profile
Corning 10 Unlock Company Profile
Daicel 5 Unlock Company Profile
Toray Industries 10 Unlock Company Profile
National Research Council of Canada 11 Unlock Company Profile
Eastman Chemical 6 Unlock Company Profile
Henkel 10 Unlock Company Profile
SENOPLAST Klepsch 11 Unlock Company Profile
Hexcel 11 Unlock Company Profile
Parker Hannifin 7 Unlock Company Profile
Sika 6 Unlock Company Profile
Milliken 4 Unlock Company Profile
ThyssenKrupp 4 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsui Chemicals 7 Unlock Company Profile
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber 9 Unlock Company Profile
W. L. Gore & Associates 10 Unlock Company Profile
3M 29 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 6 Unlock Company Profile
Compagnie de Saint-Gobain 8 Unlock Company Profile
Arkema 13 Unlock Company Profile
BASF 2 Unlock Company Profile
Hanwha 7 Unlock Company Profile
Nitto Denko 15 Unlock Company Profile
Teijin 22 Unlock Company Profile
Boeing 51 Unlock Company Profile
Airbus 9 Unlock Company Profile
Honeywell International 6 Unlock Company Profile
Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt 3 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Chemical Group 20 Unlock Company Profile
Sumitomo Electric Industries 10 Unlock Company Profile
Electricite de France 10 Unlock Company Profile
ADHETEC 9 Unlock Company Profile
AIRTECH INTERNATIONAL 4 Unlock Company Profile
FallTech 1 Unlock Company Profile
DuPont de Nemours 32 Unlock Company Profile
Xenith 6 Unlock Company Profile
Corteva 6 Unlock Company Profile
Wobben Properties 12 Unlock Company Profile
Bright Lite Structures 5 Unlock Company Profile
Proprietect 12 Unlock Company Profile
Cold Pad 8 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

US aerospace and defense giant Boeing is the leading patent filer in conductive composites, filing  51 patents from 2015 to 2023, which is a significant number for a specialist field. Its rival in commercial aerospace, Airbus, stood second, filing nine patents.

In terms of application diversity, Boeing also leads the pack, followed by HEICO  and Airbus. By geographic reach, Israel Aerospace Industry filed patents related to conductive composites in the highest number of countries, followed by Boeing and Airbus.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defense industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Advanced Materials (AdMs) in 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.