Feasibility of Laser Power Transmission to a High-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

High-altitude, long-endurance aircraft have long been a topic of interest for the U.S. Air Force and for the RAND Corporation. In 2007, RAND undertook a study to determine whether there was any practical merit to the admittedly speculative concept of transmitting power to such an aircraft by photovoltaic conversion of a laser beam, thus recharging the aircraft in midair and potentially keeping it aloft indefinitely.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA544926

Entities

People

  • Richard Mason

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Chemical Oxygen Iodine Lasers
  • Energy
  • Energy Storage
  • Laser Beams
  • Laser Diodes
  • Lasers
  • Light (Electromagnetic Radiation)
  • Light Sources
  • Optics
  • Quantum Efficiency
  • Solar Cells
  • Solar Energy
  • Solar Panels
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerial Unmanned Vehicle Swarm Micro Periodontal Dentistry.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Directed Energy