DARPA Wants To Retrofit Tankers Aircraft To Refuel Drones With Laser Energy

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, June 17, 2022 at 02:59 PM ET

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A Boeing KC-46A Pegasus takes off at Yokota Air Base, Japan. [U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe]

Key Takeaways:

DARPA proposes an "Airborne Energy Well concept" to enable U.S. Air Force aerial tankers to wirelessly recharge unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) using laser beams.
The initiative aims to significantly extend the range and operational duration of drones, mirroring the impact of traditional air-to-air refueling for piloted aircraft.
The plan involves retrofitting existing refueling aircraft, such as the KC-46 and KC-135, with power beaming technology, potentially using underwing pods.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants U.S. Air Force aerial tankers to take refueling to the next level by powering up unmanned aircraft systems with laser beams of energy in order to extend their range.

DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office laid out the idea for the Airborne Energy Well concept in a Request for Information (RFI) seeking to explore wireless energy transfer for drones earlier this week. The agency wants to identify technologies that could be retrofitted into existing refueling aircraft, specifically the KC-46 Pegasus and KC-135 Stratotanker.