Who is building the most defensible drone IP – and in which direction?
Drones used to mean hobbyist toys and military surveillance. Now they’re becoming delivery fleets, connected sensors, and autonomous flight platforms. Familiar names like Samsung, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA are racing alongside dedicated builders like Skydio and DJI to own this shift.
This report ranks 50 companies based on US patent publications filed after January 1, 2023, covering drone technology – spanning autonomous flight and AI, connectivity and network integration, camera and sensing systems, delivery and logistics, military and defense UAS, and eVTOL air mobility. It’s the same patent-first approach behind GreyB Spotlight, our program recognizing the top 1% of innovators across industries.
Three names in this ranking carry a recognition beyond patent count alone.
Skydio, SZ DJI Technology, and Wing Aviation were named among the industry’s top 1% in GreyB’s 2026 Spotlight Awards, our program recognizing the strongest patent portfolios across 23+ industries. All three appear in the ranking below, alongside the industry’s largest electronics and telecom filers.
Ranked by total patent count – highest to lowest.
| Rank | Company | HQ Country | Technology Focus | Patent Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Electronics | South Korea | Drone-Adjacent Sensor & Connectivity Components | 1629 |
| 2 | LG Electronics | South Korea | Drone-Adjacent Sensor & Display Components | 1512 |
| 3 | Qualcomm | USA | Drone Connectivity & Flight Chipsets | 1342 |
| 4 | Nvidia Corp | USA | AI Computing for Autonomous Flight | 647 |
| 5 | GM Cruise Holdings Llc | USA | Autonomous Navigation & Sensor Fusion | 426 |
| 6 | Toyota Motors | Japan | Vehicle-Drone Integration Systems | 367 |
| 7 | Kia Corp | South Korea | Vehicle-Drone Integration Systems | 327 |
| 8 | Hyundai Motors | South Korea | Urban Air Mobility & Vehicle-Drone Systems | 327 |
| 9 | T-Mobile | USA | Drone Connectivity & Network Integration | 295 |
| 10 | Boeing | USA | Military & Aerospace UAS Systems | 282 |
| 11 | Sony | Japan | Drone Camera & Imaging Sensors | 272 |
| 12 | Intel Corp | USA | Drone Swarm & Computer Vision Computing | 266 |
| 13 | Apple Inc | USA | Aerial Imaging & Navigation (Exploratory) | 261 |
| 14 | Interdigital Patent Holdings Inc | USA | Wireless Connectivity Licensing (UAS-relevant) | 255 |
| 15 | Amazon Technologies | USA | Drone Delivery Logistics (Prime Air) | 253 |
| 16 | Canon Kk | Japan | Drone Camera & Imaging Systems | 252 |
| 17 | Raytheon | USA | Military UAS & Counter-Drone Systems | 240 |
| 18 | Beta Air Llc | USA | eVTOL Aircraft & Charging Infrastructure | 236 |
| 19 | At&T | USA | Drone Connectivity & Network Integration | 232 |
| 20 | Rivian IP Holdings | USA | Vehicle-Drone Integration Systems | 221 |
| 21 | Sony Semiconductor | Japan | Drone Camera Image Sensors | 219 |
| 22 | Honeywell | USA | Aerospace Avionics & UAS Navigation | 219 |
| 23 | Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Corp | Japan | Drone Connectivity & Network Research | 205 |
| 24 | Huawei Technologies | China | Drone Connectivity & 5G Integration | 185 |
| 25 | Deere & Co | USA | Agricultural Drone & Precision Farming | 178 |
| 26 | Ericsson | Sweden | Drone Connectivity & 5G Integration | 177 |
| 27 | Skydio Inc | USA | Autonomous Drone Navigation & Computer Vision | 173 |
| 28 | Micron Technology Inc | USA | Memory & Storage for Drone Computing | 172 |
| 29 | Ford Motor | USA | Vehicle-Drone Integration Systems | 172 |
| 30 | Nec Corp | Japan | Drone Security & Network Research | 161 |
| 31 | IBM | USA | AI & Data Analytics for UAS | 152 |
| 32 | Waymo Llc | USA | Autonomous Navigation & Sensor Fusion | 148 |
| 33 | Here Global Bv | Netherlands | Mapping & Location Data for UAS Navigation | 133 |
| 34 | Google Llc | USA | AI & Aerial Mapping Research | 127 |
| 35 | Pratt & Whitney | USA | Aerospace Propulsion Systems | 127 |
| 36 | Nokia Technologies | Finland | Wireless Connectivity Licensing (UAS-relevant) | 123 |
| 37 | Textron | USA | Military UAS & Aerospace Systems | 122 |
| 38 | Panasonic Intellectual Property | Japan | Sensing & Information Processing | 122 |
| 39 | LG Innotek | South Korea | Drone Camera & Sensor Modules | 122 |
| 40 | Sz Dji Technology | China | Consumer & Commercial Drone Platforms | 117 |
| 41 | Dell Products Lp | USA | Drone Edge Computing & Data Infrastructure | 115 |
| 42 | Wing Aviation Llc | USA | Drone Delivery Logistics | 111 |
| 43 | Alarm.Com Inc | USA | Drone-Based Home Security Integration | 105 |
| 44 | Honda Motor | Japan | Vehicle-Drone Integration Systems | 102 |
| 45 | Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc | USA | Drone Connectivity & Network Integration | 94 |
| 46 | Bae Systems | United Kingdom | Military UAS & Defense Systems | 90 |
| 47 | Motorola Solutions | USA | Public Safety Drone & Communications Systems | 89 |
| 48 | General Electric | USA | Aerospace Propulsion & UAS Systems | 89 |
| 49 | Cisco Technology Inc | USA | Drone Network & Security Infrastructure | 82 |
| 50 | Gopro Inc | USA | Drone Camera Systems (Karma legacy) | 62 |
A note on ranking & company scope
Not everyone here builds drones for a living. Some show up because a single division or subsidiary is quietly patenting in this space – in autonomous flight, connectivity, camera sensing, delivery logistics, or military UAS. That’s the nature of drone IP: it cuts across consumer electronics, telecom, automotive, aerospace, and defense alike. A few entries, such as Rivian IP Holdings, Dell Products Lp, and Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc, are named patent-holding or operating entities distinct from the parent brand most people recognize; each is noted individually in the accompanying verification log.
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