Why this small vacuum tube can be China's big advantage in electronic warfare
defence tech laboratory in
Beijing , a research team powers up a vacuum tube about the size of a pistol.
Advertisement
Inside, a stream of electrons surges through thin coiled wires, amplifying microwave pulses ranging from 8 to 18 gigahertz with more than 500 watts of output – performance metrics that until recently were only achievable in devices much bigger.
It is the new heart of China's advanced radar and electronic
warfare systems – a miniaturised travelling-wave tube (TWT), and a symbol of how relentless refinement of microscopic details is propelling the country to the forefront of
military electronics.
For decades, TWTs have powered high-end radar and electronic warfare systems, capable of amplifying broadband microwave signals with efficiency and power that solid-state amplifiers cannot match.
But their size – especially their height – has long limited their integration into next-generation phased arrays, particularly in aircraft, satellites and stealth platforms where space and weight are at a premium.
Advertisement
Squeezing hundreds or even thousands of tubes into a radar has always been a headache, but Chinese engineers have shrunk a high-power X-Ku band TWT to just 20 millimetres (0.8 inches) in height – less than half the thickness of comparable Western models – with a boost in performance.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China urged to boost space solar power technology efforts
China has been urged to speed up the development of solar power in space to gain a stronger footing in the new energy sector and the space race. Ge Changchun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, called in an article for a top-down strategy to speed up efforts to develop the technology and narrow the gap with the United States in sectors such as materials and precision control. Space solar power facilities are designed to be built and operated in orbit, where they convert solar energy directly into electricity before transmitting the power to Earth via microwaves or lasers. Unlike ground-based solar plants, space stations are not affected by the weather or nightfall. Solar radiation in space is also far more intense than on Earth, making the technology a more efficient way of continuously generating power. China's research in this field relies primarily on efforts by universities and research institutions, but Ge wrote in an article for China Science Daily that they 'lack the capacity to support such a vast, complex systems project'. Compared with the United States, which conducted solar energy transmission experiments as early as the 1970s, China was relatively late in developing space solar power.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Sentry drone' warning system to help ‘Hong Kong low-altitude economy fly high'
A new 'sentry drone ' system is expected to help Hong Kong's low-altitude economy fly high, providing early alerts about navigation signal interference to ensure flight safety and reduce accidents, the transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan offered the upbeat assessment in a post on her weekly blog on Saturday, saying she had recently taken a look at the system, developed by local company Aerovision Technology, which has applied for a Chinese patent covering Hong Kong. The 'Sentry Drone System for Early Alert of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Interference' uses innovative AI algorithms to patrol designated drone operating areas and provide warnings to operators to ensure flight safety. A GNSS is susceptible to interference such as jamming, spoofing – where malicious fake signals are transmitted to deceive a receiver – and certain solar effects, which may endanger flight safety and can lead to major accidents. 'We are confident that once this system successfully 'takes off', it will reduce safety risks associated with drone flights, allowing us to discuss lowering drone insurance premiums with the insurance industry, ultimately benefiting the entire low-altitude economy,' Chan said. Drone systems are susceptible to interference, which may endanger flight safety and can lead to accidents. Photo: Handout She said that the project overcame satellite navigation limitations and geographical challenges by deploying sentry drones as a vanguard for regular missions by unmanned aircraft.
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to deploy robotic dogs to combat chikungunya amid rising imported cases
Hong Kong will deploy robotic dogs as part of its enhanced mosquito-control efforts to curb the chikungunya virus, as the number of imported cases is expected to rise, the environment chief has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan revealed the new measure on Saturday after the number of imported cases of the mosquito-borne disease increased to nine the previous day. He said the government was exploring the use of new technology, including trialling a robotic dog next month. It will be used to carry and spray mosquito insecticide in rugged areas that are difficult for control teams to access on foot. 'Starting from next month, we will conduct a trial using a robotic dog to spray insecticide on hillsides and other places that are difficult for control teams to access,' he told a radio programme. 'This initiative is aimed at reducing burden on frontline staff during hot weather. If the trial proves successful, more robotic dogs will be deployed and the government will continue to research other new mosquito-control methods.' Tse added that the government's current mosquito-control measures were similar to those used during previous dengue fever outbreaks, saying he was confident the Chikungunya situation could be contained.
