Gas Turbines Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
Gas turbine patents: where filing concentrates and where it has thinned out
49.4% of all 97,551 records sit with just five assignees, and the leader alone holds 19,442 — this field is unusually concentrated for a mechanical-engineering category this large. Volume ran from 1,199 records in 2017 to a peak of 1,572 in 2019, then declined; the 2021-to-2024 span alone fell 22% (896 to 699 records). Years after 2024 should be read as still filling in rather than as evidence of a further drop.
- 1RTX CORP19.9%
- 2GENERAL ELECTRIC CO10.8%
- 3UNITED TECH CORP8.5%
- 4ROLLS ROYCE PLC7.4%
- 5PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP2.9%
See the full gas turbines patent landscape analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about gas turbine patents
Who holds the most gas turbine patents?
One assignee leads the ranked field with 19,442 records, well ahead of the next several filers. The top five assignees combined hold 48,234 records, which is 49.4% of the 97,551 records in scope, so ownership is concentrated among a small number of aerospace and industrial turbine OEMs rather than spread evenly across the field. Anyone assessing freedom to operate should expect to encounter this leading filer’s prior art across most core turbine and combustion subclasses.
Is gas turbine patent filing increasing or decreasing?
Filing peaked in 2019 at 1,572 records and has declined since, with the most reliable comparison — 2021 to 2024 — showing a 22% drop from 896 to 699 records. Years after 2024 are still filling in because publication typically lags filing by around eighteen months, so they should not yet be read as confirming a continued decline. The honest read is a real pullback through 2024, with the trend beyond that point genuinely unknown for now.
What technology areas dominate gas turbine patents?
Gas-turbine plants (F02C) and turbines and non-positive engines (F01D) are the two largest IPC subclasses, covering 12.8% and 10.3% of all 97,551 records respectively. Jet and reaction propulsion and combustion chambers follow at smaller shares, while gearing, testing, and aircraft-equipment classes each account for under 2% of records. Because records can carry multiple classes, these shares describe density, not a competition for market share.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Gas Turbines Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.