Protecting the Future of Flight: The Power of Patents

POV by Matthew Graczyk, CEO

"I’ve always said that the aircraft matters."

The advanced air mobility industry is about to explode in growth, and innovation is accelerating at a fever pitch. Advances in technology and progress in government certifications are setting the stage for new aircraft designs to have a transformative impact on many parts of the economy and people’s lives. Autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial systems (UAS) will be a big part of this transformation. 

But so many in our industry focus more on selling the promise of these aircraft's missions – air taxis, last-mile delivery, battlefield missions – rather than on the differentiating aircraft designs and the underlying innovative technologies that can deliver more efficient ways of getting those important jobs done.

Not all VTOL aircraft are the same. Let’s face it, some designs are better than others. It always surprises me when I hear companies pitching their use case rather than the advantages of their aircraft design and how it gives them an advantage in the market.

While missions are certainly important, at PteroDynamics our sights are set on developing the best VTOL aircraft in the market for each use case. Our radically different Transwing aircraft design with wings that fold to transition between configurations optimized for vertical and horizontal flight gives us several critical advantages over other VTOL aircraft designs for many of the fastest-growing mission needs. 

One look at a Transwing in flight and you know it is fundamentally different from any other VTOL platform.

In horizontal flight, it looks like a traditional fixed-wing airplane. You would never know it was a VTOL until you see the wings begin to fold back in preparation for landing. That certainly cannot be said about any other VTOL aircraft. When you see others flying, you know they are a VTOL. The aerodynamic and energy efficiency inherent in the Transwing design makes it adaptable and optimizable for different mission requirements, and its elegant simplicity makes it more reliable and easier to operate than complex VTOL UAS.

The Transwing design gives PteroDynamics an unfair advantage, and I like it that way. I am confident we have a solution that can win in the marketplace. The U.S. Navy’s positive feedback from the real-world sea trials during this year’s RIMPAC exercise and our recently announced international distribution and strategic agreements with Overwatch Group in the United Kingdom,  Cornes Technologies in Japan, and Babcock in Australia demonstrate the interest from around the world.

Protecting a Proprietary Platform 

None of the prevailing VTOL designs - tilt-wing, tilt-propulsor, tail-sitter, or lift-plus-cruise - are proprietary, but the Transwing is. Protecting the value of the Transwing aircraft design and the technology behind its flight control systems is central to our corporate strategy and shareholder value creation. Furthermore, the Transwing’s unique airframe allows for numerous patents not available to others. We have carefully built a body of intellectual property patents across 11 territories. In total, we have six granted patents and an additional 14 pending. The first U.S. patent was granted in 2019 and provides broad protection covering the entirety of the Transwing design, with 25 apparatus and five method claims. We have two additional patents granted in the U.S., two patents granted in Japan, and one patent granted in China. 

Create, Protect, and Preserve Value

Collaboration and innovation are in our DNA. As a smaller company, PteroDynamics has been able to achieve so much so quickly by working closely with our technology and manufacturing partners in key areas that are part of the Transwing UAS platform. 

We also take a collaborative approach to licensing the Transwing to potential partners. As such,  protecting the Transwing IP with the proper patents is not only essential for us, but it is also vital to our partners who seek to preserve their value.  

The aircraft is indeed what matters. The Transwing is the foundation of the strength of our company. It requires close cooperation with customers to meet their needs and rapid design, build, test, and fly cycles to continually refine the Transwing. This results in an aircraft that can complete more effectively and efficiently the missions other manufacturers only talk about. The Transwing delivers significant value to commercial and defense operators in ways other VTOL UAS cannot, and protecting our intellectual property is how we safeguard that value for us and our customers, partners, and shareholders.

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