PowerLight Technologies Receives Expanded Investment for Aerial ReCharge System
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KENT, WA, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- PowerLight Technologies, a leader in laser-based wireless power beaming, has received an expanded investment from the Department of War’s Operational Energy - Innovation (OE-I) Directorate. The new award will advance the development of the Aerial ReCharge (ARC) system, which uses laser power beaming to recharge unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or their payloads in flight. This development builds on the ARC system's previous work under the PTROL-UAS program and the successful April 2026 demonstration at Shaw Air Force Base.
The ARC system is designed to extend the operational endurance of UAS by enabling autonomous, in-flight recharging. This capability reduces the need for landing and swapping batteries, which is particularly beneficial in contested environments.
The ARC system is currently being integrated into a Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000ULE, a Blue UAS Cleared platform operating under a May 2026 U.S. Air Forces Central (AFCENT) IDIQ rapid deployment contract valued at up to $270 million. AFCENT is providing the platform and pilots, while PowerLight's engineering and test team is embedded at Shaw AFB. The team is working closely with AFCENT mission planners and operators to develop operational concepts of operations (CONOPS) and collect data during field testing, with the goal of transitioning the technology to theater.
Tim Jenks, CEO of PowerLight Technologies, expressed confidence in the system's potential.
The Aerial ReCharge system is part of PowerLight's broader efforts to deliver kilowatt-class power and optical communications over kilometers to mobile, distributed assets on and off planet Earth. The platform-agnostic system is designed to integrate across various UAS classes, from Group 2 fixed-wing platforms to larger aircraft carrying heavier sensor or effects payloads. It also provides a direct foundation for directed energy counter-UAS applications.
The development and demonstration of the Aerial ReCharge system under the sponsorship of OE-I’s Operational Energy Prototyping Fund have laid the groundwork for persistent operations without the limitations of batteries or physical power links. The system is expected to have significant implications for the defense, industrial, telecommunications, and space-based applications.