Beijing Lab Builds Pocket-Sized Air And Missile Defense Powerhouse

In Beijing, defence scientists have built a miniaturised travelling-wave tube (TWT) – a device about the size of a pistol that can amplify microwave pulses between 8 and 18 gigahertz at more than 500 watts, according to the South China Morning Post.

Once bulky and difficult to integrate into aircraft, satellites and stealth systems, this downsized TWT is now powering China’s latest radar and electronic warfare platforms.

“With technological advancements, domestically produced miniaturised travelling-wave tubes have seen significant improvements in bandwidth, power output, and efficiency,” wrote lead scientist Shi Xuechun of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation.

Shi noted that when combined with broadband phased array antennas, the tubes “greatly enhance the detection range and accuracy of air defense and missile defense radar systems, while also boosting the jamming effectiveness and operational reach of multi-beam electronic warfare systems.”

SCMP writes that Shi’s team reduced the TWT’s height to just 20mm — less than half that of Western models — by redesigning the magnetic focusing system, compressing the electron gun, and preventing vacuum arcing through precision engineering.

They also replaced aluminium with beryllium oxide ceramic in the collector, which absorbs heat. “The heat transfer efficiency increases nine to 10 times,” the researchers said.

The result is a tube measuring only 185 by 30 by 20mm, with over 549 watts of output power and efficiency above 97 percent. Packaged into a microwave power module, the entire unit is about the size of an iPad.

Chinese engineers describe this progress as the cumulative effect of many small refinements. “It is like drops filling a reservoir, these changes accumulate,” said a Beijing-based defence tech expert. “By filling one cup at a time, eventually it will be full.”

At this year’s World Radar Expo, China displayed more than 100 advanced systems, from airborne and naval radars to quantum and cognitive warfare platforms. Reports suggest Chinese-supplied radars also played a role in a recent India-Pakistan conflict, helping J-10 fighters down Indian Rafale jets before they could respond.