UAV maker Arion is to use a wireless power system from GuRu Wireless to provide endurance for surveillance applications, writes Nick Flaherty.

This will enable the UAV from Arion in South Korea, previously known as rgblab, to stay airborne for over 96 hours at heights of up to 100 m.

The companies plan to jointly develop a UAV for persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with sustained, untethered flight. The UAV will use GuRu’s 24 GHz receiver, which will pair with GuRu’s 24 GHz phased array transmitter to enable wireless power transfer.

The joint development tackles a long-standing operational limitation of small UAV platforms: endurance. Current systems are constrained by battery capacity, requiring frequent recovery, battery replacement or tethered operation, each introducing coverage gaps, operational risk, added manpower or mobility constraints.

GuRu’s RF Lensing technology provides directed wireless power to airborne small UAVs. A single ground-based generator unit (GU) supports multiple aircraft at the same time, enabling continuous ISR coverage, dynamic repositioning and multi-asset coordination over defended or sensitive areas. The latest GU has 70,000 fully synchronised and electronically phase-controlled transmitters in a digitally steerable array.

The architecture is intended for perimeter security, base and facility protection, border monitoring and critical-infrastructure surveillance where persistence and responsiveness are mission-critical.

“Our current transmitter can deliver over a kilowatt of continuous power at distances exceeding 100 m, underscoring the ability of our architecture to perform in-flight recharging of sUAS in mission-critical applications. For persistent ISR operations, the system must be capable of wirelessly delivering at least 500 watts to an aerial vehicle at distances beyond 50 m, enabling its onboard battery to recharge while the drone remains in flight,” said Behrooz Abiri, co-founder and CTO of GuRu Wireless. “Importantly, this must be achieved within the strict size, weight and power, or SWaP, constraints typical of small UAVs.”

“From an operational standpoint, endurance is the primary limiting factor in sUAS missions. Integrating GuRu’s wireless power capability with our AI-enabled sUAS platform will enable sustained ISR operations without recovery cycles, battery logistics or tether constraints. This materially changes how persistent surveillance missions can be planned and executed,” said Kim Yong-deok, CEO at Arion.

“This collaboration marks a meaningful step in advancing persistent ISR from concept to demonstrated, field-ready capability,” said Narbeh Derhacobian, CEO of GuRu Wireless. “GuRu Wireless has developed and is actively demonstrating wireless power systems engineered specifically for ISR operations in operationally relevant environments.”

The collaboration is structured to progress in phases, beginning with live demonstrations and advancing to verification activities and pilot programs with military-related units. In parallel, the companies plan to work with prime defence contractors and systems integrators to evaluate integration paths, alignment and scalability for broader deployment.