In a milestone for airborne energy transfer technologies, PowerLight Technologies and Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) have successfully demonstrated ground-to-air laser power beaming to a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The test validates the feasibility of extending UAV mission durations through directed-energy wireless charging—a capability with significant implications for persistent ISR missions and communications relay platforms.
Laser Power Beaming Achieved Mid-Flight
The joint demonstration took place at an undisclosed test range in the United States. During the trial, PowerLight’s proprietary laser-based power transmission system successfully delivered energy from a ground station to KHA’s K1000ULE (Ultra Long Endurance) UAV while it was airborne. The system converted electrical power into a precisely aimed infrared laser beam that was then received by photovoltaic cells onboard the aircraft. These cells reconverted the light into usable electrical energy to supplement onboard battery systems.
This marks one of the first publicly confirmed instances of successful mid-flight laser power transfer to an operationally capable UAV. According to company statements and corroborated by industry reporting from Defense One and Breaking Defense, this demonstration achieved real-time tracking and beam stabilization despite platform motion—two major technical hurdles in dynamic wireless energy delivery.
K1000ULE Platform: Designed for Endurance
The receiving platform—the K1000ULE—is a solar-electric HALE UAV developed by Kraus Hamdani Aerospace. With a wingspan reportedly exceeding 30 meters and optimized for ultra-low-power flight regimes, the aircraft is designed for multi-day endurance missions at altitudes above 20,000 feet (6 km). It uses solar panels integrated into its wings for daytime operation and high-density batteries or fuel cells for nighttime persistence.
The addition of mid-flight recharging via directed-energy could remove one of the last remaining constraints on endurance—battery depletion during low-sunlight periods or high-demand payload operations. This would enable near-continuous loitering over areas of interest without requiring recovery or ground-based refueling infrastructure.
Technology Maturity and Safety Considerations
PowerLight’s system builds on decades of research into free-space optical (FSO) energy transfer. The company has previously demonstrated similar capabilities with stationary receivers but adapting this technology to moving aerial targets introduces new challenges:
- Beam tracking: The system must maintain sub-degree accuracy over kilometers of distance while compensating for atmospheric distortion and platform movement.
- Safety interlocks: High-powered lasers pose risks to people, animals, satellites, or aircraft along the beam path; safety protocols must detect obstructions instantly and shut down transmission if needed.
- Energy conversion efficiency: Current end-to-end efficiencies range between 10–20%, meaning significant losses from generation to reception—but enough net gain to extend mission duration when solar input is insufficient.
The companies did not disclose exact beam power levels or conversion metrics but emphasized that all operations were conducted under FAA-approved test protocols with safety monitoring systems engaged throughout.
Operational Use Cases: Persistent ISR Without Refueling
This capability directly supports emerging concepts of operations requiring persistent surveillance over denied or remote areas without reliance on forward-deployed logistics chains. Potential use cases include:
- Persistent ISR: Continuous monitoring over maritime chokepoints or border regions using HALE drones as sensor platforms.
- Tactical comms relay: Maintaining line-of-sight communications between dispersed units via airborne relay nodes powered indefinitely from ground stations.
- Denying adversary sanctuary: Keeping eyes-on-target over mobile missile launchers or critical infrastructure without gaps due to recovery cycles.
If scaled effectively, such systems could also reduce logistical burdens in expeditionary environments where fuel supply lines are vulnerable or impractical—an increasingly relevant concern in Indo-Pacific scenarios where basing access may be contested.
Strategic Implications and Future Development
The demonstration aligns with broader U.S. Department of Defense interest in resilient unmanned systems that can operate autonomously across vast distances. While no formal program-of-record has yet adopted this technology operationally, both DARPA’s “Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay” effort and AFRL’s “Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations” have explored related concepts involving orbital-to-terrestrial energy beaming or long-range optical links.
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace has stated that future tests will focus on scaling up beam duration and improving receiver efficiency under varied atmospheric conditions. PowerLight is reportedly working on mobile transmitters that could be mounted on ships or vehicles—enabling forward-deployed recharging even without fixed infrastructure.
If matured beyond prototype stage, such systems could underpin a new class of “persistent autonomous platforms” capable of weeks-long deployments without human intervention—a transformative shift in how militaries conduct surveillance, communications support, and environmental monitoring at strategic scale.
Ahead But Not Alone: Global Interest in Directed-Energy Recharging
This U.S.-based demonstration follows similar international interest in wireless drone charging via microwave or laser technologies. Notably:
- China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University has tested microwave-based drone recharging indoors under controlled conditions since at least 2021.
- NEDO Japan, working with Mitsubishi Electric, has pursued space-to-ground microwave transmission as part of its SSP initiatives since early 2020s.
- AIRBUS Defence & Space, via its Zephyr program—a solar-electric stratospheric drone—has explored hybrid approaches combining solar with potential future optical top-ups from orbit-based lasers.
The convergence of these efforts suggests growing global recognition that endurance—not just speed or payload—is becoming a decisive factor in next-generation airpower concepts across both military and dual-use domains like disaster response or climate monitoring.
