PowerLight Technologies, headquartered in Kent, Washington, USA, is advancing a new technology that uses lasers to transmit power, which is expected to allow military drones to achieve "infinite endurance" in the air. The relevant system has now entered a critical testing stage before being deployed for actual combat deployment by the US military. Unlike many defense contractors who focus on laser weaponization applications, PowerLight focuses on "powering with light" rather than "killing with light."
The company recently confirmed that the core components of its laser power supply technology have been verified and have the potential to provide wireless aerial charging for U.S. military drones in real-life environments. The project is part of the "Power Transmitted Over Laser to UAS" program and is supported by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). According to official statements, the system can output "kilowatt-level" power over a distance of up to about two kilometers, providing the basis for the Ministry of Defense to build a fleet of drones with almost no endurance restrictions.
PowerLight said that by establishing a direct and efficient energy link with compatible drones, the mission duration of a single drone or even an entire fleet of unmanned systems can theoretically be "infinitely extended" in the future. Tom Nugent, co-founder and chief technology officer of the company, said that the related technology is expected to eventually evolve into an intelligent, mesh-structured energy network to achieve wireless distribution and dispatch of power.
In recent testing, PowerLight focused on validating the infrastructure performance of its laser power supply system. Among them, a tracking system based on precision optics can stably lock the remote drone platform at a distance of up to about 1.5 kilometers and transmit energy to the target while ensuring safety. The receiving device installed on the drone is responsible for capturing the invisible laser beam and converting the light energy into electrical energy to charge the onboard battery. The receiver also integrates a control module that records telemetry data and manages two-way communication with the ground station through optical links.
At the platform level, PowerLight has partnered with Kraus Hamdani Aerospace to integrate laser power technology into the latter’s K1000ULE long-endurance drone. Fatema Hamdani, CEO of Kraus, said that the K1000ULE itself is designed to significantly extend the autonomous flight time, and with the introduction of the PowerLight system, the platform's airborne time will be "extremely extended" to "theoretically unlimited."
Nugent said that the team has completed testing and verification of the hardware and control software required to track the drone and continuously provide kilowatt-level charging during flight. After the core components are proven, PowerLight plans to demonstrate a fully integrated flight infrastructure later this year, laying the foundation for possible subsequent deployment at scale.
U.S. Central Command is paying close attention to the progress of this project to evaluate whether the technology can truly deliver on the promise of "infinite endurance." For many years, the U.S. Department of Defense has been exploring various ways for laser technology to enhance offensive firepower and improve overall combat effectiveness. This attempt to use lasers to "remotely recharge" unmanned systems has become another new direction in this long-term layout.