The Department of Defense has awarded Raytheon a contract to develop directed energy wireless power technologies for the US Army.
The deal covers the manufacturing of transmitters and receivers that will allow for long-range tests according to the service’s manned and unmanned system requirements.
The initiative is part of the Pentagon’s broader strategy to maintain the distribution and availability of energy for combat, logistics, and troop security in modern warfare.
The company highlighted that the wireless power-beaming approach will cut the need for carry-on fuel and battery packages, optimize operation time, and decrease reliance on concentrated fuel depots vulnerable to adversarial threats.
“Wireless power and data can provide enhanced capability in the future manned and unmanned teaming battlespace,” Raytheon Advanced Technology President Colin Whelan said.
“This is extremely important in highly contested threat environments where operations are challenged.”
Raytheon in DARPA’s POWER
Raytheon accepted a similar project in December 2023 worth $10 million to produce a wireless airborne power-generating capability for DARPA.
The award was facilitated under the tactical innovation agency’s Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER) program, inaugurated in 2022, to address traditional energy source requirements in the military with optical wireless energy approaches.