Midair refueling of manned aircraft currently calls for the dispatching of a huge tanker plane and a delicate midair link-up between two moving aircraft. The unmanned aerial vehicles of the future may have a much easier time staying aloft for days at a time—indefinitely, really—via laser refueling systems that beam energy from the ground to aircraft on the wing. Lockheed Martin’s Stalker Unmanned Aerial System recently demonstrated the potential of these emerging laser power systems by maintaining continuous operation for 48 straight hours.