PowerLight wins follow-on US defense award for in-flight drone recharging
What's the deal? PowerLight TechnologiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has received a follow-on grant from the US Department of War's Operational Energy — Innovation (OE-I) DirectorateDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to advance its Aerial ReCharge (ARC) system, which uses laser power beaming to recharge drones in flight. The Kent, Washington company announced the award on October 8, 2026.
What's the endgame? ARC lets an unmanned aircraft system recharge mid-mission without landing. When a battery hits a defined threshold, the aircraft initiates a handshake with the autonomous ARC transmitter and recharges in flight before resuming its mission.
Why now? The award builds on ARC development under the PTROL-UAS program and an April 2026 demonstration at Shaw Air Force Base. It moves the system toward field deployment.
The product: For this work, the ARC receiver is integrated into Kraus Hamdani AerospaceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s K1000ULE, a Blue UAS Cleared platform operating under a May 2026 US Air Forces Central (AFCENT)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → contract valued at up to $270 million. AFCENT is providing the aircraft and pilots, while PowerLight's engineering team is embedded at Shaw AFB collecting field data.
UAS battery life is measured in hours, and each recovery cycle forces operators to break cover, swap batteries, and relaunch in contested environments. ARC removes the need to land.
"Power beaming means more time on mission and less time on the ground," said OE-I Combat Power Portfolio Lead Chris DePuma.
The signal: PowerLight frames the award as validation of wireless power beaming's readiness. Chief executive officer Tim Jenks said power beaming "applies well beyond a single domain, from ground-to-ground, ground-to-air, air-to-air, and space-to-space," pointing to a broad dual-use market across defense, industrial, telecoms, and space applications.
Read more: einpresswire.com
Image credit: PowerLight Technologies
