Power By Laser

Posted 11 July 2012

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Photo by Kevin Robertson

The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and LaserMotive, Inc., demonstrated the capabilities of an innovative laser power system to extend the Stalker Unmanned Aerial System flight time to more than forty-eight hours during testing in June 2012. This increase represents an improvement in flight duration of 2,400 percent. The UAS was modified to incorporate LaserMotive’s proprietary system that makes it possible to wirelessly transfer energy over long distances using laser light to provide a continual source of power. At the conclusion of the test, conducted in a wind tunnel, the battery on the Stalker aircraft had more energy stored than it did at the beginning of the test. Stalker is a small UAS used to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

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