Scientists Beam Power to Flying Drones Using Microwaves

Imagine drones that never need to land for a battery swap. Scientists at China's Xidian University just took a major step toward making that vision reality.

The research team developed a car-mounted system that beams energy directly to drones in flight using microwaves. In recent tests, they kept a fixed-wing drone flying for more than three hours at 50 feet altitude while both the vehicle and aircraft were in motion.

Here's how it works: A microwave emitter on the ground vehicle sends energy upward to an antenna array mounted on the drone's belly. The system uses GPS and onboard flight controls to keep the drone aligned with the energy beam as it flies.

Professor Song Liwei, who specializes in antenna structures and wireless energy transmission, led the project. His team published their findings in the journal Aeronautical Science & Technology, marking an important milestone in aerial power delivery.

The technology still faces real challenges. Only 3 to 5 percent of the beamed energy currently reaches the drone, with most of the microwave power dispersed into the air. Wind gusts and positioning errors also cause the received power to fluctuate, making steady flight harder to maintain.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just a Chinese phenomenon. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency set its own record last year, transmitting 800 watts of power over 5.3 miles using laser beams for more than 30 seconds at 20 percent efficiency.

American researchers are now working on a "wireless energy web" that could beam power through multiple airborne relay points. The goal matches China's ambition: enabling drone fleets with unlimited range and endurance.

What started as laboratory experiments is rapidly becoming standardized technology. Converting electromagnetic energy into usable electrical power has moved from proof-of-concept to real-world testing in just a few years.

The applications extend far beyond military uses. Emergency response drones could survey disaster zones continuously. Agricultural drones might monitor vast crop fields without interruption. Search and rescue operations could cover larger areas for longer periods.

Both research teams acknowledge their systems need major efficiency improvements before commercial deployment. But the fundamental physics works, and engineers excel at refining promising technologies once the basic science proves sound.

The future of flight might not involve bigger batteries after all.