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

With no standard way to power, launch and recover drones in the field, three American companies are combining self-generating mobile power, autonomous launch and recovery, and attritable aircraft designed for scale into a single turnkey solution for uninterrupted operations.

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‍Jackson, MI – October 7, 2026 – Today, Sesame Solar, Target Arm and AG3 Labs are launching thePersistent Drone Operations Nanogrid, the first integrated solution that combines Sesame Solar’s selfgenerating mobile power, Target Arm’s robotic arm and drone magazines for autonomous drone launchand recovery, and AG3 Labs’ attritable, unmanned aircraft into a single system for training and forwardexpeditionary use. This solution will enable continuous drone operations with no fuel resupply. Operatorscan 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 isno standard procedure to get backup power out to a drone launch team. In remote, contested or austereenvironments, an autonomous solution that can transport, charge and safely store in a wide range oftemperatures, launch, recover and recharge drones with minimal detection signatures can save liveswhile improving mission outcomes.

“Mobile electric power is a critical fifth supply requirement along with food, water, munitions, and fuel. If aforward expeditionary team can’t power its drones, or their batteries fail from heat or cold, warfighters loseone 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 fuelsupply 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 forwardexpeditionary 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 letsdrones deploy, recover, recharge and relaunch with no pilot on-site and while moving. TargetArm’s drone magazines work with the Ralar system to autonomously cycle drones throughdeployment, for persistent 24/7/365 coverage.
• AG3 Labs' SPADE platform is a Group 1 sUAS that reconfigures for the mission, supportingISR, communications relay and, for defense users, kinetic payloads. SPADE can be flown one-toone or controlled one-to-many as an autonomous swarm, supporting training, first responder, lawenforcement, military and special operations missions.
• Mobile Microgrid. The Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid is available as a standalonesolution or in a series of two to twelve Nanogrids, creating a turnkey MIL-STD mobile microgrid,which can also charge man-portable batteries and other forward expeditionary equipment.

The launch comes as federal policy moves decisively toward domestic production. Executive Order14307 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 atscale. As a domestically manufactured solution, the Persistent Drone Operations Nanogrid meets theserequirements, while providing a comprehensive solution that improves operational readiness and supplychain security.

“Every system we build at Target Arm starts with the same question: does this bring someone homesafe?” said Jeffrey A. McChesney, CEO & Founder of Target Arm. “The launch and the recovery are twoof 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 thatdrones can be launched from a moving vehicle or a boat, so warfighters never need to stop to completetheir 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, bordermonitoring and situational awareness.
• Critical infrastructure protection: monitoring of power infrastructure, pipelines, communicationsnetworks, transportation corridors and other geographically dispersed assets.
• Emergency management: rapid deployment of aerial assets following natural disasters or otheremergencies when conventional infrastructure may be unavailable.
• Industrial and commercial operations: remote inspection, security, agriculture and monitoringacross large or difficult-to-access facilities.

"Operators shouldn't need a different drone for every mission — they need one airframe they canreconfigure in the field and put up in numbers," said Nick Smock, Co-Founder/Head of Growth at AG3Labs. "Put that on a system that launches, recovers and recharges itself, and you have persistentcapability without adding a single person to the team.”

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About Sesame Solar

Sesame Solar builds mobile, off-grid power systeSesame Solar builds mobile, off-grid power systems designed for environments where fuel logistics arecomplex and failure is not an option. Its Mobile Nanogrids combine solar and hydrogen power, batteryand low-pressure, solid-state hydrogen storage to deliver continuous power without relying on fuel supplychains. Designed for rapid deployment and long-duration operations, Sesame’s systems support militaryoperations, disaster response, and resilient infrastructure projects. Sesame’s Nanogrids are trusted byorganizations 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, andSan Diego Gas & Electric, and investors include Morgan Stanley, VSC Ventures and Riverbend EnergyVentures. Made in Pure Michigan, USA, Sesame is committed to American reindustrialization and energyresilience. Sesame is an xTech Kinectic 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 recoveryfrom any moving platform. No Stopping. No Pilots. Target Arm’s technology is trusted by the U.S. ArmyApplications 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-DisabledVeteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), was an Army xTech Overwatch Finalist, an Air ForceAFWERX 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 multimission, configurable unmanned aircraft supports everything from force-on-force training and threatemulation to ISR and one-way attack, and can be flown one-to-one or controlled one-to-many as aswarm. 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.

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