In recent years, we’ve seen high-energy laser systems move from DARPA prototypes to battlefield interceptors. Israel’s Iron Beam has reportedly shot down rockets and drones using directed energy. And defense firms across the world are racing to scale fiber laser arrays beyond the 100kW threshold.

But the real breakthrough isn’t just in power.  It’s in precision.

How do you take dozens of commercial-grade fiber lasers and make them behave like a single, surgically accurate beam? How do you keep all that energy focused on a moving target, across weather, distance, and vibration?

One patent, US10337841B2, titled “Directed-Energy Weapons,” may hold the key to the answer. Filed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, this invention doesn’t just describe another laser weapon. It outlines a smart, modular system that can sense when beams drift and self-correct in real time. It’s less about brute force, more about coordinated firepower.

We ran this invention through PQAI to see what else might be out there. What we found wasn’t a one-off idea. It was a global pattern.

From South Korean alignment devices to German servo-tracked beam arrays and Chinese mobile stabilizers, the world is converging on a shared frontier: Making lasers think before they fire.

Let’s break it down.

Translating US10337841B2 into a Plain-English Patent Query

To explore the broader innovation landscape, we turned to the PQAI tool.

Instead of relying on keywords or classification codes, we translated the Rafael patent into a single, concept-level query:

“A multi-laser directed energy weapon that uses high-power fiber lasers, precision optics, beam deflection samplers, and angle sensors to align multiple beams on a common target using real-time feedback.”

The goal was to uncover inventions that solve the same problem, even if they used different architectures, optics, or control methods.

Here’s what the query looked like in PQAI- 

Source – PQAI

The tool returned 95 results, including NPL. However, the diversity of the results was striking.

Some took the hardware route, using fast steering mirrors, deformable optics, or beam stabilizers. Others leaned into software and sensors, blending machine vision and feedback control loops to maintain alignment mid-flight or on moving platforms.

What started as a single invention quickly revealed a much bigger picture. There was a global effort to make modular laser systems smarter, faster, and battlefield-ready.

Source – PQAI

Source – PQAI

What the Global Laser Landscape Reveals?

Among the above, the following are four patents and non-patent literature that echo, expand, or challenge the Rafael approach to beam alignment and fiber laser control.

Let’s take a look. 

#1. Germany’s Modular Laser Weapon: MBDA’s Servo-Based Beam Array

As one of Europe’s leading defense contractors, MBDA Germany has been quietly laying the foundation for scalable directed energy systems since the early 2010s. These two papers offer a rare glimpse into that journey, from lab concept to field-tested prototype.

In 2012, MBDA introduced a novel approach to high-energy laser weapons: geometric beam combining. Instead of trying to merge multiple fiber lasers into a single coherent beam, their system used fast tip-tilt mirrors and a shared beam director telescope to aim individual 10kW lasers at a common focal point. Each laser maintained its own beam path, but all were servo-steered in sync, enabling dynamic tracking and target engagement.

What made this interesting is the architecture. MBDA’s design relies on a shared output aperture and mechanical steering, while Rafael’s uses independent optics, passive deflectors (pentaprisms), and angle sensors for software-driven alignment correction. Different routes to the same goal: turning multiple distributed beams into one focused force.

By 2013, MBDA had moved from paper to proof. Their updated work detailed live C-RAM defense experiments where the system detected incoming threats via radar and infrared optics, performed coarse and fine tracking, and delivered over 100kW of combined laser energy onto moving targets. 

This was no longer theoretical; it was an integrated, operational laser defense demonstrator.

Together, these papers show that Europe’s path to battlefield-ready DEWs may not rely on coherence or AI, but on precision mechanics and smart beam geometry. 

#2. Stabilized Multi-Beam Laser System: Chinese Institute of Optoelectronics’ Adaptive Mirror Array

China’s CN102608764A offers a highly adaptive solution to a common challenge in fiber laser weapon development: beam drift and mechanical vibration,especially in mobile environments.

Filed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Optoelectronics, this patent describes a multi-laser beam combination system that utilizes multiple tilting mirrors, beam alignment sensors, and custom-shaped reflectors to maintain the tight alignment of each laser during operation. 

The goal is to synthesize multiple high-power beams into one, even when mounted on moving platforms like ships, vehicles, or aircraft.

The architecture is both mechanically and optically clever. A beam synthesis sensor monitors angular deviations in real time, while a network of dynamically controlled tilt mirrors compensates for jitter and misalignment. This makes the system highly resilient to external vibration; something most fixed-turret DEWs struggle with.

Compare this to Rafael’s US10337841B2, which uses pentaprisms and angle sensors for passive, modular alignment on a stable platform. CN102608764A, by contrast, leans into motion-resilient active stabilization. This makes it ideal for mobile deployment in battlefield environments.

What’s also notable is the versatility: While clearly aimed at laser weapon development, the patent explicitly extends the design to multi-channel laser communication and optical synthesis for non-lethal use cases.

#3. Coherent Fiber Array with Adaptive Beam Control: II-VI’s Precision Phasing System

As high-power laser weapons evolve, one of the ultimate goals is not just to stack beams. But it is to phase them into a single coherent wavefront that can deliver pinpoint energy at range. That’s exactly what this 2022 patent from II-VI Delaware Inc. aims to achieve.

US2022352686A1 introduces a coherent fiber array system designed for scalable deployment, where each sub-aperture (laser channel) can be dynamically phase-controlled. The innovation lies in the adaptive feedback loop: sensors detect how well the beams align (in phase and direction), and controllers adjust them in real time to ensure either:

• Coherent combination at the source, or
• Constructive interference at the target

This dual-mode targeting makes it flexible for both close-range suppression and long-range precision strikes.

Unlike Rafael’s US10337841B2 patent, this design leans into true wavefront coherence. It’s closer to optical phasing than geometric alignment, making it a step toward what’s sometimes called synthetic aperture laser projection.

In the broader landscape, this patent signals where the industry is heading. Right from simply pointing multiple lasers at a target, to merging their waveforms into a devastatingly precise and controllable beam powered by fiber-laser modularity and AI-style adaptive optics.

#4. Real-Time Alignment with Wavelength Diversity: Korea’s Beam Coupling System

South Korea’s defense researchers are taking a fresh approach to high-energy lasers. Their 2023 patent describes a system that can align multiple fiber lasers into a single output, even when the lasers operate at different wavelengths.

The invention comprises a light source unit for transmitting the beams, a beam combining unit that aligns all the lasers, and a real-time measurement system that monitors performance as the system operates.

What makes this design notable is its flexibility. It supports modular fiber laser sources, including those with varying wavelengths, and uses live feedback to correct alignment drift as it happens. That makes the system both stable and scalable.

Rafael’s US10337841B2 tackles a similar challenge but uses pentaprisms and fixed-angle sensors for beam correction. The Korean system takes a more dynamic path. It relies on sensors and alignment control that adjust based on the actual transmitted beam, not just component geometry.

This shift toward adaptive optics and spectral flexibility signals a clear trend in laser weapons development. Systems like KR102562981B1 suggest that South Korea is not simply catching up. It is quietly building the architecture for more intelligent, mobile, and modular directed energy weapons.

That said, among the results, beam alignment wasn’t the only direction innovators are exploring.

Some patents focused on adaptive optics for atmospheric compensation. Others ventured into wavelength multiplexing, real-time threat engagement, or even non-lethal laser applications for crowd control and communication. A few entries didn’t directly match Rafael’s alignment setup. But they introduced complementary architectures that push the limits of fiber laser coordination, mobility, and coherence.

This reinforces a critical point: The real innovation isn’t in a single method. It’s in the modular logic behind it.

With a single plain-English query, PQAI helped surface a global set of solutions, not just patents with similar keywords. But inventions that solved the same underlying problem in different ways.

Recommended Read: Exploring US11107588B2: A Privacy-Driven Vision for Epidemic Response

Here’s how PQAI can help you, too. 

How PQAI Helps You See What Others Might Miss?

Most inventors focus on what makes their tech different. But a smart IP strategy begins by understanding what’s already out there. This is especially true when the problem you’re solving is shared across global defense labs, universities, and private R&D organizations.

That’s where PQAI proves invaluable.

Instead of asking you to master classification codes or legal lingo, PQAI lets you describe your invention in plain English. Just like we did with Rafael’s patent, you can enter a concept-level query. And PQAI will return results that match the logic, not just the words.

And these results don’t come as vague titles or 100-page PDFs. You get a mapping showing how and where your idea overlaps with existing patents or research. 

Whether it’s Chinese adaptive mirror arrays, German servo logic, or Korean wavelength alignment systems, PQAI lays out the full picture quickly.

This matters whether you’re:

• Validating your white space before filing
• Trying to strengthen a provisional claim
• Or just mapping the global tech terrain to sharpen your product roadmap

With PQAI, you’re not just searching patents. You’re decoding the innovation patterns behind them.

And that’s how modern inventors stay one step ahead, without wasting weeks on broken keyword searches or legal guesswork.

Try PQAI now and build with clarity, not blind spots.