Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB 
High-energy lasers as complex integrated systems
The performance of a high-energy laser does not depend solely on its output power. The decisive factor is how the laser source, beam coupling, beam steering, atmosphere, target tracking and safety systems interact. Turbulence, absorption, scattering and the heating of the air can distort and weaken a laser beam on its path to the target. With HELIKS, the Fraunhofer IOSB is establishing a mobile, modular test facility to investigate high-energy laser systems and their subsystems under realistic conditions, to validate existing simulation models using experimental data, and to develop new methods.
Coherent beam coupling with more than 90 channels
HELIKS couples more than 90 individually phase-controllable laser beams to achieve a nominal total power of over 100 kilowatts. The controlled phase relationship allows the beams to be shaped, aligned and superimposed to form a single beam. The experimental facility comprises containers housing the laser source, power supply, cooling system, control system and safety equipment, as well as supplementary measurement stations. Its modular architecture enables a variety of experimental configurations and, in the future, measurement campaigns outside permanently installed laboratory environments. We combine this experimental infrastructure with our competence in beam propagation, adaptive optics, target tracking, laser-matter interaction and laser safety.
Platform for system evaluation and collaboration
The specialised containers for HELIKS were installed on the Fraunhofer IOSB site in Ettlingen in June 2026; the experimental facility is still under construction. Planned investigations include studies on coherent beam coupling and beam shaping, propagation through different atmospheric conditions, turbulence compensation, as well as laser effects and potential hazards from direct radiation, scattered light and reflections. HELIKS thus provides a unique experimental basis for future research projects and collaborations with public sector clients, system manufacturers and suppliers of laser and optoelectronic components.
