Power By Laser Outside

Posted 2 August 2012

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Photo by Kevin Robertston

Lockheed Martin and LaserMotive, Inc., completed a series of flight tests in late July of the Stalker Unmanned Aerial System, or UAS, to further validate the performance of a laser power system. These tests marked the first outdoor flight of a UAS powered by laser. Stalker is a small, silent UAS used by Special Operations Forces since 2006 to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. In previous tests in a wind tunnel, the UAS demonstrated forty-eight hours of continuous flight powered by the laser. This latest series of tests took place in a desert location during the day and at night. For the demonstration, the Stalker was fitted with a lightweight photovoltaic receiver and on-board power management hardware.

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