Well, how's this for something new? lol

(Credit to Hesham and TsrJoe for initially pointing it out and locating the material. First pic from Aviation magazine, 1960.)

https://coldwar-c4i.net/RAMP/index.html

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/radio-powered-sky-station/

And it's even talked about on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_unmanned_aerial_vehicles#Beamed_power_UAV_experiments

The idea of using UAVs as a cheaper alternative to satellites for atmospheric research, earth and weather observation, and particularly communications goes back at least to the late 1950s, with conceptual studies focused on UAVs with conventional propulsion, or new forms of propulsion using microwave beamed power or photovoltaic solar cells.

Raytheon suggested what would now be described as a UAV using beamed power, flying at an altitude of 15 kilometers (9.3 mi), as far back as 1959, and actually performed a proof-of-concept demonstration in 1964, with a transmitting antenna powering a helicopter on a 20-meter (65 foot) tether. The helicopter carried a rectifying antenna or "rectenna" array incorporating thousands of diodes to convert the microwave beam into useful electrical power.

The 1964 demonstration received a good deal of publicity, but nothing came of it, since enthusiasm for Earth satellites was very high and the rectenna system was heavy and inefficient. However, in the 1970s, NASA became interested in beamed power for space applications, and, in 1982, published a design for a much lighter and cheaper rectenna system.