由地面微波波束提供能量的空中飞行器再也没有燃料用完的问题。这种飞行器的飞行路线可能受到提供能量的波束方向图的限制,但它们可以在空中无限期停留。微波供能飞机在侦察、通讯中转以及大气数据收集等方面有吸引力。它不必负担占决定性的燃料重量,因而有可能把大量有效载荷提升到大气层上,以便再向外层空间输送。利用微波波束为飞机提供能量的想法在19世纪50年代后期得到了认真的考虑。在1959 Air vehicles powered by ground microwave beams have no problem with running out of fuel anymore. The flight path of such an aircraft may be limited by the beam pattern providing energy, but they may stay indefinitely in the air. Microwave powered aircraft are attractive in reconnaissance, communications relay and atmospheric data collection. It does not have to shoulder the decisive fuel weight and therefore has the potential to lift large payloads into the atmosphere for further delivery to outer space. The idea of ​​using microwave beams to power aircraft was seriously considered in the late 1850s. In 1959