Revolutionizing Drone Flight: U.S. Military’s New Patent Might Maintain UAVs within the Air Indefinitely

A New In-Flight Recharging System Goals to Overcome Electrical Drones’ Greatest Limitation—Battery Life

by DRONELIFE Workers Author Ian J. McNab

The web, GPS, and microwave ovens have been all the results of navy analysis, and now, that ingenuity could be used to make drones that by no means need to land. The U.S. Military Fight Capabilities Growth Command Military Analysis Laboratory, based mostly in Adelphi, Maryland, not too long ago acquired a patent for a brand new drone tethering system, (serial #US2024286773) designed to increase drone capabilities by creating new recharging methods utilizing different UAVs.

The system is designed to finally permit for in-flight recharging of UAVs utilizing a central “energy financial institution” drone that would cost up a number of flight mates, equally to how an air refueling airplane like a KC-135 Stratotanker can restock fight planes, extending their mission timelines and making them extra survivable in mid-air. 

The complete textual content of the summary reads as follows, describing “(a) powered drone tether and deployment system together with a plurality of drone coupling/decoupling mechanisms which allow the coupling/decoupling thereto of rechargeable drones in flight. A lead drone could carry the drone tether in order to increase the tether from a base station supplying energy thereto such that a number of rechargeable drones could connect to coupling/decoupling mechanisms for charging, after which detach from the coupling/decoupling mechanisms to carry out unbiased flight duties.” 

Principally, the thought is to make drones fly longer, eradicating one of many largest challenges of electrical flight- battery life. The US navy has clearly been thinking about extending efficient flight size of UAVs, investing in or whitelisting many long-range drones As most drones are electrically powered, they wrestle over lengthy distances, the place gasoline, diesel, or aircraft-fuel powered UAVs can fly additional. 

Nevertheless, if they might cost whereas in flight, the potential for electrically powered drones for use in long run, mounted positions for purposes like surveillance or communications may exponentially improve, giving the US navy extra flexibility in dynamic working environments. A drone might be a movable watch tower, or a totally versatile communications antenna system that might be remotely piloted to the place its wanted and left there to be mechanically recharged by UAV. 

Whereas we’re in all probability nonetheless a couple of years off from seeing the tether imaginative and prescient absolutely realized, the longer term vary of drones might be massively elevated in the event that they didn’t need to land to recharge, making this an thrilling promise of issues to return. 

Learn extra:

Ian McNabb is a workers author based mostly in Boston, MA. His pursuits embody geopolitics, rising applied sciences, environmental sustainability, and Boston Faculty sports activities.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, knowledgeable drone providers market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone business and the regulatory surroundings for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles targeted on the business drone house and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the business.  Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising for brand spanking new applied sciences.
For drone business consulting or writing, E mail Miriam.

TWITTER:@spaldingbarker

Subscribe to DroneLife right here.