Bulldozer00's Blog

I work in the aerospace and defense industry. This industry is typically slow moving and not known for bleeding edge innovation. Thus, I was intrigued when I discovered that the MITRE corporation came in at number 30 in Fast Company magazine’s 2010 list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. I scanned the list for other companies in the industry, but I (unsurprisingly) didn’t find any more industry stalwarts among the innovative elite.

In addition to the world class innovators, Fast Company also lists the top 10 innovative companies in a slew of industries, including the the defense business. Here is their list of innovators, subjectively decided by someone, or some group, at Fast Company.

1. Mitre
2. DARPA
3. iRobot
4. QinetiQ
5. Northrup Grumman
6. Raytheon
7. Lockheed Martin
8. Boeing
9. Aurora Flight Services
10. ATK

After reading the summary for each company, it appears that most money and brainpower are being invested in unmanned moving, sensor packed products like robots and aerial vehicles. For companies looking to branch out and explore new business opportunities, they may do well to invest in these areas and see if anything emerges.