Silent FalconTM UAS Technologies Selected by DARPA for its SUPER – Power Beaming Demonstration Project
Silent Falcon UAS Technologies solar electric, fixed wing, long endurance, long-range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has been selected by DARPA as the unmanned aircraft
system for its Stand-off Ubiquitous Power/Energy Replenishment – Power Beaming Demo (SUPER PBD). SUPER PBD is an innovative project designed to prove the feasibility of recharging an electric powered UAS while in flight using a laser light source, allowing for indefinitely long flight times by using concatenated “Fly” and “Fly & Charge” cycles removing the need to land to refuel.
The Silent FalconTM UAS is uniquely suited for this important project as it is a proven solar electric powered system and the addition of the SUPER PBD capabilities builds on the established Silent FalconTM solar electric technology.
This is another important milestone for Silent FalconTM as it continues to increase the deployment of its Silent FalconTM UAS in a wide variety of commercial, public safety and military applications.
Other partners in the SUPER PBD project include Optonicus LLC (http://www.optonicus.com/),SolAero
Technologies Corporation (https://solaerotech.com/solaerotech/) and Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (http://www.ascentsolar.com/).
“We believe that this project will demonstrate that remote electric refuelling of DoD systems via high energy laser power beaming to extend mission operation time in contested and remote environments can be delivered to the warfighter in the near future”, said the project’s DARPA lead, Joseph A. Abate PhD.
“We are extremely fortunate to partner with DARPA in this first of its kind demonstration of new and innovative UAS technologies. The SUPER BPD project will set the stage for future applications of the power beaming capabilities and further demonstrates the versatility of the technology embedded in the Silent FalconTM, the only solar electric, long range, long endurance UAS”, said John W. Brown, Silent FalconTM UAS Chairman.
ABOUT SILENT FALCONTM UAS TECHNOLOGIES
Silent FalconTM UAS Technologies manufactures patent pending, state-of-the-art small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and components and sensors for the security, military and commercial markets including oil and gas and pipeline inspections, power utility inspections, large-scale agriculture, natural resource management, security/ISR, public safety, and mapping/surveying. Silent Falcon is the only solar electric UAS to provide long endurance and range, silent operations, and an open interface payload bay accommodating a wide- variety of payloads that are also quick and easy to change. The company is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information, please visit: www.silentfalconuas.com