Nov 3, 2026

US12782944 - Adaptive anti-laser system

A method for protection of inflight aircraft during approaching-to-landing and takeoff/climbout phases of flight against handheld laser attacks includes two different drone types: a skeining drone and a swarming drone. One or more skeining drones are deployed close to the aircraft and/or one or more swarming drones are deployed further from the aircraft and closer to the beam source. Prior to the aircraft's traversal of a determinable approach point, a plurality of swarming drones are pre-deployed in loitering mode or else launched, and are subsequently directed toward the reckoned source of a trained beam while skeining drones are pre-deployed in a patrol mode or else launched, and fly closer to the aircraft. The skein classically shields the cockpit by flying a controlled interference pattern roughly parallel to the aircraft flightpath while the swarm saturates one or more determined and dynamically redetermined regions athwart the beam source location.

Assignee: James Ahlemeier
Inventors: Jonathan Ralph Burdick
Filing date: 2025-03-17

The patent describes a system utilizing skeining and swarming drones to protect inflight aircraft from laser beam attacks during critical flight phases. The drones operate in coordinated patterns to intercept and block the laser beam, ensuring the safety of the aircraft and its occupants.

Claim 1

1 . A system for protecting an inflight aircraft against a laser beam attack into the aircraft’s flight path during approach to and takeoff from a landing area an airfield, comprising: at least one skeining drone adapted to fly an interference pattern parallel to the aircraft; a plurality of swarming drones, the plurality adapted to fly toward a source of the laser beam and loiter in a formation between the source and the aircraft; a sensor configured means for detecting the to detect a laser beam within the flight path; control logic a means which, when executed by a processor, performs steps for deriving, for transmitting, responsive to the sensor detecting the laser beam, laser beam interceptive flight path instructions; transmitting the instructions to the at least one skeining drone and to the plurality of swarming drones; and directing means for launching the at least one skeining drone and the plurality of swarming drones to follow flight paths according to the instructions to provide redundant blockage of the laser beam wherein redundant blockage of the laser beam means that at least two drones are interposed between the aircraft and the laser beam. at least one skeining drone adapted to fly an interference pattern parallel to the aircraft; a plurality of swarming drones, the plurality adapted to fly toward a source of the laser beam and loiter in a formation between the source and the aircraft; a sensor configured means for detecting the to detect a laser beam within the flight path; control logic a means which, when executed by a processor, performs steps for deriving, for transmitting, responsive to the sensor detecting the laser beam, laser beam interceptive flight path instructions; transmitting the instructions to the at least one skeining drone and to the plurality of swarming drones; and directing means for launching the at least one skeining drone and the plurality of swarming drones to follow flight paths according to the instructions to provide redundant blockage of the laser beam deriving, for transmitting, responsive to the sensor detecting the laser beam, laser beam interceptive flight path instructions; transmitting the instructions to the at least one skeining drone and to the plurality of swarming drones; and directing means for launching the at least one skeining drone and the plurality of swarming drones to follow flight paths according to the instructions to provide redundant blockage of the laser beam wherein redundant blockage of the laser beam means that at least two drones are interposed between the aircraft and the laser beam.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12782944

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12782944