The U.S. military has developed a wireless energy network to charge drones in the air

Mondo Military Updated on 2024-01-31

Refer to the news network on December 31**According to Hong Kong's Asia Times on December 28, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working on a groundbreaking project to dramatically extend drone flight time with the help of wireless energy transfer. This is of great significance to UAV technology and base logistics support.

This month, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is providing $10 million in funding to Raytheon to develop an energy "net" that allows drones to fly in the air indefinitely, according to Defense One**. According to the **, the program focuses on designing drone platforms whose performance does not depend on the fuel they carry.

According to reports, the two companies signed a two-year contract for Raytheon to design an airborne relay system that would allow a "net" capable of collecting, transmitting and redirecting light beams. These "networks" will transmit energy from ground sources to the air for precise and remote operation of unmanned systems, sensors, and effectors.

The use of lasers for energy transfer may still be in its infancy, but the technology has far-reaching military implications.

The Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to equip air tankers with "airborne energy silos" to power battery-powered drones, and hopes that the industry will give feedback on the feasibility of equipping tankers with underwing energy launch pods.

The project aims to solve the problem of insufficient endurance of battery-powered drones by allowing them to be charged during flight.

The column says that the planned airborne energy wells will not supply energy for large UAVs in the short term. However, over time, it is likely that larger, more complex drones will also be battery-powered, giving more impetus to the development of in-flight charging technology. (Compiled by Li Fengqin).

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