Uncrewed Aerial Systems Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
Uncrewed Aerial Systems Patents: Who Leads and Where the Claim Space Is Still Open
One filer dominates. the leader holds 1,237 records against a fifth-place total of 144, and the top 5 combined account for 22.4% of all 10,257 records in scope. Annual filings rose to a peak of 1,140 in 2019, then eased to 570 by 2024 — a 36% decline across the 2021–2024 span on complete-year data. 2025 and 2026 figures will rise as later publications land; they are not evidence of a continued slide.
- 1SZ DJI TECH CO LTD12.1%
- 2SKYDIO INC3.8%
- 3AURORA FLIGHT SCIENCES CORP2.6%
- 4THE BOEING CO2.5%
- 5AEROVIRONMENT INC1.4%
See the full uncrewed aerial systems 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 on UAS patent activity
Who holds the most uncrewed aerial systems patents?
One assignee leads the ranking with 1,237 records, well ahead of the fifth-place filer at 144 and the tenth-place filer at 85. The top 5 filers combined account for 22.4% of all 10,257 records in scope, and the top 10 combined reach 27.8%. That leaves the large majority of records spread across a long tail of smaller filers outside the ranked group.
Is UAS patent filing activity growing or slowing down?
Filing volume peaked in 2019 at 1,140 records and had fallen to 570 by 2024, a 36% decline over that complete-year span. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and will rise as pending applications publish, so they should not be read as evidence the decline is continuing. The clearest read is a step-down from 2019 levels rather than a collapse.
Which patent classes cover the most UAS filings?
B64C, covering aeroplanes and helicopters generally, touches 45.6% of all 10,257 records, and B64U, the drone-specific class, touches 39.2%. G05D, covering control of non-electric variables, is close behind at 34.9%. Sensing and communications classes such as G01S, H04N and H04W each sit under 10%, indicating claim density concentrates on airframe and control rather than perception or connectivity.
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 Uncrewed Aerial Systems 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.