PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

BAE Systems Plc

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 669 granted patents across 202 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
669
Total patents granted
202
CPC technology areas
16.4
Avg claims per patent
-16%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

BAE holds 669 US patents across 202 technology areas, rank #671 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#671
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 2%
by Innovation Score (62.3/100)
16.4
avg claims per patent
-16%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

BAE Systems Plc has been granted 669 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing BAE Systems Plc at rank #671 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 202 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 16.4 claims per patent with primary concentration in G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS). As a Foreign Corporation, BAE Systems Plc is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, BAE sits between Trane International Inc. (671 patents, rank #667) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (668 patents, rank #675) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 62.3/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.

Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 306 grants, compared with 363 in the 2015–2019 window, a -16% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. The Foreign Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.

Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. BAE Systems Plc's 16.4 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a diversified footprint across 100+ CPC subclasses spreads risk across many technology fronts. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark BAE Systems Plc against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Who files at BAE's volume?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows BAE holds 669 patents at rank #671, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025

Companies ranked near BAE

By rank, the assignees closest to #671 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in G02B (Optical Elements)

Other assignees with the most granted patents in BAE's primary technology class.

BAE's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)

62 Top 2% higher than 98% of 50,000 US assignees

0–10: 687 US assignees (1%). Below this entry. 10–20: 2,527 US assignees (5%). Below this entry. 20–30: 13,162 US assignees (26%). Below this entry. 30–40: 15,294 US assignees (31%). Below this entry. 40–50: 11,491 US assignees (23%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,537 US assignees (3%). This entry sits in this band. 70–80: 234 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 80–90: 10 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 90–100: 0 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. This assignee 0 100 every tracked assignee, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USPTO PatentsView, PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025

20406080100 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 30
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table
BAE Systems Plc patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 58 8.7%
2016 71 10.6%
2017 71 10.6%
2018 75 11.2%
2019 88 13.2%
2020 58 8.7%
2021 63 9.4%
2022 46 6.9%
2023 41 6.1%
2024 68 10.2%
2025 30 4.5%

Which technologies does BAE Systems Plc patent most?

Top 15 of 202 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#671

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

62.3 out of 100

View all rankings →

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

How is Innovation Score calculated?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many patents does BAE Systems Plc hold?
BAE Systems Plc holds 669 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 202 technology areas.
What is BAE Systems Plc's Innovation Score?
BAE Systems Plc has an Innovation Score of 62.3 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does BAE Systems Plc focus on?
BAE Systems Plc's top technology area is G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS) with 98 patents. The company has filed patents in 202 CPC subclasses total.
Is BAE Systems Plc's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
BAE Systems Plc's recent filing velocity is -16% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for BAE Systems Plc's patents?
BAE Systems Plc's patents average 16.4 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the BAE Systems Plc patent data sourced?
All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.

How to use this portfolio

BAE's 669 grants land it in the top 2% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.

  • Read that count against the largest US assignees before treating it as dominance - BAE ranks #671 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in G02B - see who else leads that technology area. G02B leaders
  • Check what the four-part Innovation Score actually rewards before comparing it to another company. How the score works

Patent counts and the Innovation Score measure patenting activity, not commercial success or the legal strength of any patent. Many patents are filed defensively. Verify the status of an individual patent against official USPTO records.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView database. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sources used on this page
  • USPTO PatentsView - the disambiguated bulk patent-grant, assignee, and CPC data this page's figures are derived from. patentsview.org
  • Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) - the joint USPTO/EPO classification scheme used to group patents by technology area. cooperativepatentclassification.org
  • USPTO Patent Public Search - the official interface to verify the status of any individual patent. ppubs.uspto.gov

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.