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What PowerLight ARC does
ARC replaces the normal cycle of landing, swapping batteries and launching again with a free-space optical power link. A mobile ground transmitter finds the aircraft, tracks its position and movement, steers and focuses a non-visible laser beam, and manages the charging connection. A receiver mounted on the drone converts the laser energy into electricity for the aircraft or its payload.
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PowerLight describes the architecture as four coordinated elements:
- An autonomous, mobile high-power transmitter.
- Optical tracking and beam-control software that follows a moving aircraft.
- A modular aircraft receiver that converts laser energy to electrical power.
- Control, safety and interlock systems that supervise the beam and charging link.
The company has also said the receiver can support an optical data link. ARC is therefore not an inductive charging pad scaled up for aircraft; it is a line-of-sight optical energy link that operates while the aircraft remains in motion.
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What was demonstrated at Shaw Air Force Base
The aircraft and flight profile
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace reported on April 20, 2026, that its K1000ULE Group 2 UAS received wireless power during flight at Shaw Air Force Base. The reported result was nearly one kilowatt delivered to the aircraft at altitudes up to 5,000 feet.
Demonstrated figure: nearly 1 kilowatt at up to 5,000 feet, according to the 2026 flight-test report.
The drone continued its mission
The aircraft was not merely hovering for a charging demonstration. The report said it maintained intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and real-time communications while receiving power. National Defense reported the same headline performance and tied the test to U.S. Central Command and Department of Defense operational-energy organizations.
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Those details matter because the value of power beaming is mission availability. A drone that can receive energy without landing can spend more of a sortie collecting or relaying information and less time on the ground being serviced.
How the program reached the flight test
- December 2024: PowerLight announced work with U.S. Central Command and the Department of Defense Operational Energy Innovation Directorate under the PTROL-UAS program. The stated goal was to demonstrate wireless power to a Group 2 UAS at 5,000 feet.
- December 2025: PowerLight said it had completed end-to-end subsystem testing, including an autonomous high-power transmitter, a lightweight receiver, precision optical tracking and layered safety interlocks. The company described the design as intended for kilowatt-class power over kilometers and at altitudes up to 5,000 feet.
- April 2026: The Shaw Air Force Base demonstration delivered nearly one kilowatt to the K1000ULE in flight while the aircraft performed ISR and communications tasks.
- 2026 follow-on work: PowerLight announced a Department of War Operational Energy Innovation award to advance a field-deployable ARC system and continue maturation with the K1000ULE.
The K1000ULE platform was also associated with an Air Forces Central rapid-deployment contract ceiling of up to $270 million. That figure describes the reported aircraft-contract context; it is not the value of the ARC award.
Why in-flight power matters operationally
More time on mission
Battery-powered aircraft normally lose mission time whenever they land for a battery change, recharge or maintenance turn. A transmitter that can keep supplying energy in the air could extend a sortie without adding another launch and recovery cycle. OE-I Combat Power Portfolio Lead Chris DePuma summarized the intended effect as: “Power beaming means more time on mission and less time on the ground.”
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Less exposure in contested areas
Landing sites, charging equipment and battery-handling crews can be vulnerable or difficult to position near an operation. Moving the power source to a mobile ground transmitter does not remove those logistics requirements, but it can reduce how often the aircraft must return to a fixed point.
Payload power as well as propulsion
The delivered electricity can be used by the aircraft or its payload. That creates a trade-off: power sent to sensors, radios or other mission equipment is power not available for propulsion and flight-control margins. The public demonstration establishes the delivered-power level, but does not publish a universal payload-power budget for every mission.
What “kilowatt-class” means
“Kilowatt-class” describes the intended scale of ARC’s power-delivery capability. The clearest public flight result is more specific: nearly one kilowatt delivered to the K1000ULE at up to 5,000 feet. It does not mean megawatt-scale power, compatibility with every drone, or unlimited endurance under all conditions.
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“Almost indefinitely” is best understood as an endurance objective. The reported tests show sustained in-flight delivery during specific demonstrations. They do not establish operation at arbitrary ranges, in every weather condition, or with every aircraft and payload combination. The aircraft still has to maneuver, consume energy, remain within the transmitter’s tracking envelope and land when the mission or system limits require it.
ARC compared with other ways to keep a drone powered
| Approach | How energy reaches the aircraft | Aircraft mobility | Main operational trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC laser power beaming | Free-space optical beam from a tracked ground transmitter to an onboard receiver | Designed for a moving aircraft; the Shaw test reached up to 5,000 feet | Requires line of sight, precise tracking, safety interlocks and suitable atmospheric conditions |
| Conventional battery swap | Aircraft lands and receives a charged battery | Flight stops during servicing | Simple energy transfer, but creates downtime and repeated launch-and-recovery exposure |
| Tethered power | Electrical cable supplies power from the ground | Constrained by tether length, weight and the operating area around the ground station | Continuous supply is possible, but the aircraft is physically connected to its base |
| Inductive or contact charging | Energy transfers over a short gap or through a physical connection | Normally requires landing or docking | Useful for ground charging, not an in-flight, kilometer-scale link |
Public material on ARC does not provide a complete cost, all-weather or head-to-head performance comparison with these alternatives. Important evaluation factors include delivered electrical power, range and altitude, aircraft speed and maneuvering, receiver mass and aerodynamic drag, payload demand, autonomous tracking and handoff, atmospheric attenuation, eye and airspace safety, transmitter mobility, and the maturity difference between a controlled demonstration and a fielded system.
Engineering limits and safety requirements
Line of sight and atmosphere
Because ARC sends energy through a directed optical beam, obstructions, clouds, precipitation, dust, smoke and other atmospheric effects can reduce or interrupt delivery. The public reports do not establish a single maximum range for all weather or terrain. “Over kilometers” describes the company’s engineering target, not a universal operating radius.
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Tracking a maneuvering aircraft
The transmitter must acquire the aircraft, predict or follow its motion, keep the beam aligned with the receiver and manage any handoff as the geometry changes. That is why autonomous tracking is a core part of the system rather than an optional convenience.
Beam safety and airspace coordination
Layered safety interlocks are intended to prevent an unsafe beam condition and to shut down or redirect the system when required. Any operational deployment would also need procedures for aircraft deconfliction, protected airspace, personnel and sensor safety, and rules for transmitting energy near other aircraft. The published material identifies these controls but does not provide a complete field operating rulebook.
What happens next
The follow-on award is aimed at turning the demonstrated architecture into a field-deployable ARC system. That phase will have to show how quickly the transmitter can move and set up, how reliably it can maintain a link as aircraft maneuver, how the receiver integrates with different airframes and payloads, and how the system performs outside a controlled test range.
For now, the defensible conclusion is narrower and more useful than an “infinite flight” headline: ARC has demonstrated nearly one kilowatt of laser-delivered power to a Group 2 drone at 5,000 feet while it continued mission operations. That is a significant endurance milestone, while field-wide, all-weather and universal-aircraft claims remain unproven.
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