Thrust reverser patents: who holds the claim space and where it is still open
56.1% concentration. The five leading assignees account for 2,951 of 5,262 records in scope — over half the entire field sits with a handful of engine and nacelle makers. Filings rose to a peak of 353 records in 2019 before easing; 2021's 249 records fell to 191 by 2024, a 23% decline over that span. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in and should not be read as a continued decline.
- 1ROHR INC23.9%
- 2RTX CORP13.5%
- 3THE BOEING CO9.2%
- 4HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC5.2%
- 5GENERAL ELECTRIC CO4.3%
See the full thrust reverser systems 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 on thrust reverser patents
Who holds the most thrust reverser patents?
One assignee leads the ranked field with 1,255 records, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 225. The top 5 assignees combined account for 2,951 of the 5,262 records in scope, or 56.1% of the field, and the top 10 extend that to 71.7%. This level of concentration reflects how few companies design and certify reverser systems for production aircraft, rather than a lack of broader industry interest.
Is thrust reverser patent filing growing or slowing?
Filing peaked at 353 records in 2019 and has eased since, with 2021's 249 records falling to 191 by 2024 — a 23% decline over that span, using the most recent years that can be treated as complete. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still low but should not be read as continued decline, because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months. The honest read is a field that has cooled from a 2019 high, not one that has gone quiet.
What technology areas do thrust reverser patents cover?
The bulk of records classify under F02K, jet and reaction propulsion, covering 68.9% of the 5,262 records in scope. Aircraft equipment (B64D, 19.8%) and gas-turbine plants (F02C, 15.0%) are the next-largest classes, with smaller pockets in acoustics (G10K, 3.4%) and plastics shaping (B29C, 3.9%). Because a single record can carry several IPC codes, these percentages add up to more than 100% and should not be summed as if they partition the dataset.
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 Thrust Reverser Systems covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. 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.