RTX, Including Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney, is Top-Ranked for Patents and Innovation; Pratt Celebrates a Century

RTX, the world’s largest aerospace and defense company—with its businesses Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon— has earned top rankings for patents and innovation.

With an annual R&D investment of $7.5 billion, RTX’s 60K patents cover a range of technologies, including advanced materials and manufacturing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, electrification, advanced sensing, and propulsion systems.

This milestone - announced by the company - “underscores RTX’s commitment to innovation and technological advancement.” The ClarivateTM Top 100 Global Innovators, Harrity Patent Analytics Patent 300® List, and European Patent Office (EPO) Patent Index, issued their 2025 rankings, with RTX topping the aerospace defense companies across all three lists.

With over 60,000 patents, RTX continues to lead the industry in pioneering new technologies that drive efficient, connected, and secure solutions for its customers worldwide. The company’s extensive research and development efforts, supported by an annual investment of $7.5 billion in 2024, have been instrumental in achieving this recognition, officials point out.

“There is no resource more valuable to a company that prides itself on leading in its industry than the innovation of its employees” said Juan de Bedout, RTX chief technology officer. “Better engines, avionics, and radars all start with the ideas and the imagination of our engineers and scientists and are reflected in the portfolio of patents we have built over time. This recognition is a credit to them and how they continuously experiment, design, build and transform with speed and agility for our customers.” 

RTX’s patents span a diverse range of transformative technologies, including advanced materials and manufacturing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, electrification, advanced sensing, and propulsion systems.

RTX’s leadership in patent filings is further bolstered by its strong partnerships with over 85 U.S. universities and numerous technology roadmaps that guide its research and development initiatives. These collaborations “ensure that RTX remains at the forefront of technological advancements and continues to deliver innovative solutions that address the evolving challenges of the aerospace and defense sectors.”

RTX is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 185,000 global employees worldwide, including Connecticut. During 2025, Pratt & Whitney is celebrating 100 years of innovations in aircraft engines while “focusing on future generations of more efficient and sustainable propulsion technologies.”