We demonstrate the design and implementation of a fiber‐optic‐bundle beam delivery system for particle image velocimetry (PIV) applications. The system is designed for the transmission of high peak power pulses (≳20 mJ) from aQ‐switched and frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser. A fiber bundle offers advantages over a single fiber in beam delivery systems for light sheet formation. The damage‐limit‐maximum power that can be transmitted is greater for the bundle than for any of its component fibers, and the quality of the derived light sheet is higher than that obtainable from a single large core fiber of power handling capacity equivalent to that of the bundle. The beam delivery system was demonstrated in PIV measurements on a premixed propane‐air flame. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.