Konzeption einer satelitten- oder höhengestützten Laser-Raketenabwehr mit langbrennweitiger Ionenaustausch-Vorsatzlinse Design of a satellite- or altitude-based laser missile defense system with a long-focal-length ion-exchange front lens
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper presents a conceptual architecture for a defensive high-energy laser (HEL) system designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic glide vehicles during vulnerable atmospheric flight phases. Moving away from bulky chemical lasers (such as the airborne YAL-1), the system utilizes a compact, diode-pumped fiber laser matrix operating in the near-infrared spectrum (~1000 nm). To overcome the mechanical alignment limits of multi-emitter arrays over distances of several hundred kilometers, a novel optical focusing assembly is proposed: a mutually compensating concave-convex lens pair, in which the converging lens undergoes a precisely controlled, electrically assisted metal-ion exchange process to achieve an ultra-long focal length. Focal calibration is verified in real time via an integrated prism-mirror ring resonator (decay path). Operational efficiency is achieved by combining a low-power continuous pilot beam with capacitor-buffered high-energy pulses triggered dynamically via return-signal flicker analysis, exploiting aerodynamic self-reinforcement to neutralize targets. Keywords: High-Energy Laser (HEL), Missile Defense, Fiber Laser Matrix, Ultra-Long Focal Length Optics, Ion-Exchange Lens, Aerodynamic Self-Reinforcement, Arms Control.
Author: Krüger, Christoph
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225402639