Innovating for a safer, more connected world

Every year, RTX ranks among the world’s top patent-generating companies. The creation of intellectual property is the foundation of our innovation pipeline – how we develop breakthrough technologies to define the future of aerospace and defense.

Across the globe, our 60,000 engineers are pushing the bounds of what’s possible from advanced materials, sensing and propulsion to artificial intelligence, autonomy and electrification. Their work is part of a continuum that spans a century.

Our innovators revolutionized radars and helped the Allies win the Second World War. They built the technology that guided Apollo 11 astronauts to the moon and defend cities from ballistic missiles. They designed the world’s most fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft engine – and its most advanced fighter jet engine. This combined heritage gives RTX a legacy of innovations that define eras.

Key facts

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60,000+

patents
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1st

in aerospace and defense for 2023 U.S. patents granted
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100+

year history of patent innovation
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60,000

engineers

Featured RTX research patents

“To promote the progress of science and useful arts.”

Those words, taken from the patent clause of the U.S. Constitution, appear atop every patent issued in the United States and they encapsulate the spirit of innovation that is the foundation of RTX.

The patents featured below represent a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of inventions and inventors from RTX and its legacy companies that have contributed to the aerospace and defense industry. We are driven to develop solutions to the world’s most complex problems, and we will continue to accelerate the application of science, technology, and engineering to do so.

A flight deck multifunction display

Touch interfaces and controls for aviation displays

Patent No. US 9,128,594

This system allows a pilot’s multifunction display to switch between two formats based on user input. One format shows a full range of images of live data, while the other provides a scaled representation of the same data. This design enhances the pilot’s experience, offering a more flexible and efficient way to interpret and interact with flight data.

Geared turbofan

Fundamental gear system architecture

Patent No. US 8,756,908

The geared turbofan (GTF™) engine is a fundamental innovation in gas turbine engines that introduced a unique gear system for transferring power efficiently. It includes a fan drive gear system for a gas turbine engine, with a gear system that provides a speed reduction between a fan drive turbine and a fan, and a mount that flexibly supports portions of the gear system. A lubrication system supports the fan drive gear system and removes thermal energy produced by the gear system. The lubrication system includes a capacity for removing energy equal to less than about two percent of energy input into the gear system.

Astronaut working on the ISS

Lower shoulder for a pressurized suit

Patent No. US 3,564,611

During the race to the moon, RTX legacy businesses developed key technologies to power the spacecraft, calculate trajectories and support extravehicular walks, including suits that could be pressurized against the vacuum of space. This innovation created an articulated shoulder joint that allowed mobility while managing the pressures that astronauts needed to survive.

Missile firing from a ground-based launcher

Pin diode driver circuit for radar system

Patent No. US 5,144,157

This innovation was specifically designed for radar systems that incorporated multiple transistors to control and manage the flow of signals by use of a timing delay circuit. In the context of radar systems, it ensures that the transmitted and received signals are accurately managed. This driver circuit aids in protecting the radar’s receiver components, especially those susceptible to damage from high-power RF signals, assuring the radar system’s longevity and efficiency.

Illustration of computer networking

Multiprocessor computer apparatus

Patent No. US 4,130,865

High-performance packet switching equipment pioneered by BBN was elemental to the Internet’s foundation. This apparatus enabled the operation of parallel processes to achieve higher data throughput than a single processor, eliminated the usage of processor hierarchy and a centralized switching system, and included a passive task register for requests and priority values. Any processor could read the register to obtain the highest priority value.

Fighter jet launching a missile

Metamaterial radome/isolator

Patent No. US 11,340,602

This invention focused on a radome isolator system made of metamaterials. A radome is a structure that encloses antennas to protect them from the environment while allowing electromagnetic signals to pass through. This particular design transmitted radiation beams at specific frequencies with minimal reflection and diffraction. The innovation ensured the radiation passes through the radome more efficiently with reduced interference.

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Licensing RTX patents

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Our patents available for licensing range in scope from artificial intelligence and machine learning to additive manufacturing and infrared sensors.

Learn more: Licensing