US wants drones to be recharged while still in-flight, backs PowerLight’s ARC

What happened

US-based PowerLight Technologies has received an expanded investment from the Department of War to advance a field-deployable Aerial ReCharge (ARC) system. It builds on the ARC development under the PTROL-UAS program and the April 2026 demonstration at the Shaw Air Force Base.

Drones are being increasingly used in modern warfare for short and long-range missions, including strikes, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and more. Their usage in other areas, such as monitoring oil pipelines and law and order, is also on the rise.

One significant hurdle to drones being used more often is power. Battery-powered drones have to return to base after they run out of energy; this leads to a situation when there is either downtime for missions or multiple drones need to be utilized to fill the gaps.