Get the latest tech news

US Army taps Raytheon to replace fuel lines with beamed power


In a move to make military logistics simpler by eliminating the need to move fuel and batteries around battlefields, the US Army has awarded Raytheon a contract to develop a directed energy wireless power system that can beam energy to where it's needed.

If you've ever seen images of armies in the field, it's easy to forget that each soldier is the sharp tip of a very long logistical spear made up of a huge number of people and a lot of materiel. The idea behind the new Army contract under the Department of Defense's Operational Energy Strategy is for Raytheon's Advanced Technology team to replace much of these supply lines with beams of high-energy coherent microwaves that are transmitted from a secure generator to forward positions where it's converted back into electricity. "Wireless power and data can provide enhanced capability in the future manned and unmanned teaming battle space," said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon.

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of Army

Army

Photo of Raytheon

Raytheon

Photo of beamed power

beamed power

Related news:

News photo

Dell settles with Uncle Sam over Army bid-rigging claims

News photo

US Army Should Ditch Tanks For AI Drones, Says Eric Schmidt

News photo

US Army should ditch tanks for AI drones, says Eric Schmidt