Power-Combined TWTAs for Rugged Defense Operations Amplify CW, AM, FM, Pulse-Modulated Signals Better than Single Traveling Wave Tube Approach
Fremont, Calif. – April 30, 2015 – dB Control, an international defense electronics manufacturer, today introduced three high-power pulsed, power-combined TWT Amplifiers (TWTAs) designed for rugged military applications. The dB-3906 (12 kW power output, pulsed, 3% duty cycle, 5.4 to 5.8 GHz), dB-3907 (12 kW power output, pulsed, 6% duty cycle, 9 to 10 GHz) and dB-3908 (15 kW power output, pulsed, 6% duty cycle, 2.9 to 3.3 GHz) use two wideband periodic permanent magnet (PPM)-focused TWTs to better amplify CW, AM, FM or pulse-modulated signals compared to a single TWT approach. Applications include test and measurement, RFI/EMI/EMC testing, antenna pattern and radar cross-section measurements, electronic countermeasures (ECM) and electronic warfare (EW) simulation.
“To protect military personnel from future threats, all systems onboard a platform must be 100 percent reliable. That’s why we design and manufacture TWTAs like these with our troops in mind. For example, this suite of products features only one RF input and one RF output – making them very easy to operate,” said dB Control VP of Business Development Steve Walley.
Designed and manufactured in-house, the TWTAs employ a modular architecture, low-noise power supply topology and are available for either local or remote operation. Additionally, they minimize losses from power combining by matching the TWTs and other RF components for amplitude and phase across the entire frequency range. To manufacture these products, dB Control uses its proprietary transformer fabrication, encapsulation and high-voltage potting techniques developed specifically for demanding military applications.
With considerably higher power output range, these three products are the latest additions to dB Control’s pulsed, power-combined TWT Amplifier family. The original TWTAs in this family include the dB-3901 (9 kW power output, pulsed, 6% duty cycle, 2 to 4 GHz), dB-3902 (8kW power output, pulsed, 6% duty cycle, 4 to 8 GHz), dB-3903 (9 kW power output, pulsed, 6% duty cycle, 8 to 12 GHz) and dB-3904 (7 kW power output, pulsed, 6 % duty, 12 to 18 GHz).
