China Demonstrates Mid-Flight Drone Recharging as Pentagon Faces Munitions Shortages
Chinese researchers keep drones airborne for hours using microwave power beams, while U.S. forces confront depleted missile stocks and multi-year replenishment timelines in a widening strategic gap.
Chinese researchers kept a drone aloft for 3.1 hours without landing by beaming power to it mid-flight. The breakthrough from Xidian University arrives as the U.S. military confronts severely depleted munitions stocks and replenishment timelines stretching years into the future.
A vehicle-mounted microwave emitter tracked a fixed-wing drone flying at 15 meters altitude. GPS positioning and real-time tracking algorithms maintained beam alignment through wind gusts and positioning errors. Just 3 to 5 percent of the transmitted energy reached the aircraft, yet the system delivered enough power for continuous flight.
Professor Song Liwei, the project lead at Xidian University, identified emitter alignment as the central technical challenge. The team solved the problem by combining GPS positioning, dynamic tracking systems and onboard flight control adjustments in a closed-loop design.
Defense analysts describe the concept as a land-based aircraft carrier, an armored vehicle that launches drones and supplies them with endless power. The system eliminates landing cycles for battery replacement and frees aircraft for heavier payloads or extended electronic warfare missions. Operators could sustain surveillance or strike operations indefinitely.
The approach diverges from the U.S. DARPA POWER program, which relies on lasers. DARPA transmitted 800 watts over 8.6 kilometers in May 2025, achieving roughly 20 percent efficiency at shorter ranges. Microwave transmission withstands adverse weather and supports multiple drones simultaneously, while laser systems demand precise line-of-sight and degrade through atmospheric interference.
This research flows from China's military-civil fusion strategy. Xidian University has operated under State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense oversight since 2008 and houses the National Defense Key Laboratory of Antennas and Microwave Technology. The institution has won at least seven military technology research bids for the People's Liberation Army since 2020.
The technology emerges alongside a stark American inventory problem. A CSIS analysis shows U.S. forces expended 45 percent of Precision Strike Missiles, over 50 percent of THAAD interceptors and nearly 50 percent of Patriot missiles during a recent seven-week conflict. CSIS experts estimate three to five years to rebuild those stocks.
Mark Cancian, a CSIS expert and retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, stated the munitions expenditures have opened a window of vulnerability in the western Pacific. He projected one to four years to replenish the depleted inventories. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell asserted the military possesses everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing.
Global counter-drone patent filings jumped 27 percent year-over-year, with China claiming 82 of 126 applications. China's drone fleet stands approximately 10 times larger than U.S. and Taiwanese forces combined. Commercial manufacturer DJI controls 90 percent of the U.S. commercial drone market and 80 percent worldwide.
Persistent airborne endurance combined with overwhelming numerical superiority reshapes modern aerial combat. The United States cannot sustain one-for-one drone defense against mass proliferation. China's state-directed research apparatus continues closing a gap that American forces will need years to repair.