Image courtesy of Silent Falcon: Unmanned aerial vehicle recharging via laser
DARPA selects unmanned aerial vehicle to be powered by a laser 10km away
DARPA’s Stand-off Ubiquitous Power/Energy Replenishment – Power Beaming Demo (SUPER PBD) is scheduled to begin testing in January 2019 with the aim of charging the UAV via a laser at a distance of 10km, said Silent Falcon’s Chairman John Brown on 2 August.
The Silent Falcon UAV comes with solar panels on its wings, which allows it to recharge in flight and extend its mission to about five hours, but when receiving charges from a laser it theoretically could fly indefinitely, he says.