Research and innovation in industrial automation in the military equipment and technologies sector has declined in the last year.

The most recent figures show that the number of industrial automation related patent applications in the industry stood at 251 in the three months ending April – down from 437 over the same period in 2021.

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Figures for patent grants related to industrial automation followed a similar pattern to filings – shrinking from 414 in the three months ending April 2021 to 341 in the same period in 2022.

The figures are compiled by GlobalData, who track patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

Industrial automation is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

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The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

The Boeing Co was the top industrial automation innovator in the military equipment and technologies sector in the latest quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in the United States, filed 75 industrial automation related patents in the three months ending April. That was down from 97 over the same period in 2021.

It was followed by the United States based Raytheon Technologies Corp with 51 industrial automation patent applications, the Netherlands based Airbus SE (44 applications), and France based Safran SA (27 applications).

Airbus SE has recently ramped up R&D in industrial automation. It saw growth of 31.8% in related patent applications in the three months ending April compared to the same period in 2021 - the highest percentage growth out of all companies tracked with more than 10 quarterly patents in the military equipment and technologies sector.