Sesame Solar, Target Arm and AG3 Labs Partner to Launch the First Made-in-USA Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid  

Today, Sesame Solar, Target Arm and AG3 Labs are launching the Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid, the first integrated solution that combines Sesame Solar’s self-generating mobile power, Target Arm’s robotic arm and drone magazines for autonomous drone launch and recovery, and AG3 Labs’ attritable, unmanned aircraft into a single system for training and forward expeditionary use. This solution will enable continuous drone operations with no fuel resupply. Operators can remotely monitor the Nanogrid’s energy performance and control the robotic arm and drones.

A drone is only as good as its next charge. The U.S. Army has documented this gap, citing that there is no standard procedure to get backup power out to a drone launch team. In remote, contested or austere environments, an autonomous solution that can store, transport, launch, recover and recharge drones, protect them across extreme temperatures, and operate with a minimal detection signature can save lives and improve mission outcomes.

“Mobile electric power is a critical fifth supply requirement along with food, water, munitions, and fuel. If a forward expeditionary team can’t power its drones, or their batteries fail from heat or cold, warfighters lose one of their most valuable assets,” said Lauren Flanagan, CEO and co-founder of Sesame Solar. “Together with Target Arm and AG3 Labs, we’ve built a comprehensive solution that eliminates the fuel supply chain while keeping drones in the air for extended durations.”

The Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid removes bottlenecks by combining:

• Sesame Solar’s Mobile Power Hub, which transports, stores, and charges forward expeditionary equipment using solar and hydrogen power, battery storage, and low-pressure, solid-state hydrogen that can be safely transported by land, sea or air. No fuel supply is required.

• Target Arm’s Ralar system is an autonomous robotic arm launch and recovery system that lets drones deploy, recover, recharge and relaunch with no pilot on-site and while moving. Target Arm’s drone magazines work with the Ralar system to autonomously cycle drones through deployment, for persistent 24/7/365 coverage.

• AG3 Labs’ SPADE platform is a Group 1 sUAS that reconfigures for the mission, supporting ISR, communications relay and, for defense users, kinetic payloads. SPADE can be flown one-to-one or controlled one-to-many as an autonomous swarm, supporting training, first responder, law enforcement, military and special operations missions.

• Mobile Microgrid: The Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid is available as a standalone solution or in a series of two to twelve Nanogrids, creating a turnkey MIL-STD mobile microgrid that can also charge man-portable batteries and other forward expeditionary equipment.

The launch comes as federal policy moves decisively toward domestic production. Executive Order 14307 directs agencies to expand U.S. UAS manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign-made drones, and the Department of Defense has moved this year to arm units with small, U.S.-sourced drones at scale. As a domestically manufactured solution, the Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid meets these requirements, while providing a comprehensive solution that improves operational readiness and supply chain security.

“Every system we build at Target Arm starts with the same question: does this bring someone home safe?” said Jeffrey A. McChesney, CEO & Founder of Target Arm. “The launch and the recovery are two of the most exposed moments of a drone mission — someone standing in the open, waiting on an aircraft. Ralar takes a person out of that moment entirely. What makes our system even more unique is that drones can be launched from a moving vehicle or a boat, so warfighters never need to stop to complete their mission.”

Potential applications for the integrated solution include:

• Defense and military operations: persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); perimeter monitoring; distributed tactical operations; training; and counter-UAS exercises.

• Law enforcement and homeland security: remote surveillance, search and rescue, border monitoring and situational awareness.

• Critical infrastructure protection: monitoring of power infrastructure, pipelines, communications networks, transportation corridors and other geographically dispersed assets.

• Emergency management: rapid deployment of aerial assets following natural disasters or other emergencies when conventional infrastructure may be unavailable.

• Industrial and commercial operations: remote inspection, security, agriculture and monitoring across large or difficult-to-access facilities.

“Operators shouldn’t need a different drone for every mission — they need one airframe they can reconfigure in the field and put up in numbers,” said Nick Smock, Co-Founder/Head of Growth at AG3 Labs. “Put that on a system that launches, recovers and recharges itself, and you have persistent capability without adding a single person to the team.”

Learn more about the Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid here: https://www.sesame.solar/lp/persistent-drone-operations

About Sesame Solar

Sesame Solar builds mobile, off-grid power systems designed for environments where fuel logistics are complex and failure is not an option. Its Mobile Nanogrids combine solar and hydrogen power, battery and low-pressure, solid-state hydrogen storage to deliver continuous power without relying on fuel supply chains. Designed for rapid deployment and long-duration operations, Sesame’s systems support military operations, disaster response, and resilient infrastructure projects. Sesame’s Nanogrids are trusted by organizations including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, Comcast, Cox Communications, City of Ann Arbor, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, and San Diego Gas & Electric, and investors include Morgan Stanley, VSC Ventures and Riverbend Energy Ventures. Made in Pure Michigan, USA, Sesame is committed to American reindustrialization and energy resilience. Sesame is an xTech Kinetic Reach Finalist. Learn more about Sesame Solar at https://sesame.solar/

About Target Arm

Target Arm Inc. is a dual-use robotics, autonomy, and AI company enabling drone launch and recovery from any moving platform. No Stopping. No Pilots. Target Arm’s technology is trusted by the U.S. Army Applications Laboratory, U.S. Air Force AFWERX, U.S. Space Force SPACEWERX, BAE Systems, Hyundai Motor Group, Verizon, Aurora Development Group and many others; investors include Techstars, Stony Lonesome Group, and D3VC. Made and assembled in the USA, Target Arm is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), was an Army xTech Overwatch Finalist, an Air Force AFWERX A2RM Finalist, and is a graduate of three accelerators: Air Force Accelerator by Techstars, Endless Frontier Labs and the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneur Accelerator. Learn more about Target Arm at www.targetarm.com.

About AG3 Labs

AG3 Labs is an autonomous, attritable, American drone company based in Michigan. Its family of multi-mission, configurable unmanned aircraft supports everything from force-on-force training and threat emulation to ISR and one-way attack, and can be flown one-to-one or controlled one-to-many as a swarm. A three-time Army xTech winner, AG3 Labs supports customers including the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. SOCOM, Michigan National Guard and DEVCOM GVSC. Learn more at www.ag3labs.com.

Contact Information

Brook Fowler

Director of Communications

Sesame Solar

brook.fowler@sesame.solar