Pistol-sized vacuum tube in China's lab could boost radar tech

Chinese scientists have developed a miniaturized traveling-wave tube (TWT) that could significantly advance electronic warfare and radar technologies. This pistol-sized vacuum tube, created by a team led by Shi Xuechun at the Beijing Vacuum Electronic Research Institute, amplifies microwave pulses between 8 and 18 gigahertz with over 500 watts of output. Notably, the device is less than half the thickness of comparable Western models at just 20 millimeters tall, enabling easier integration into next-generation phased array radar systems, which require hundreds or thousands of such components. The TWT operates by synchronizing an electron beam with a slowed radio frequency (RF) field inside a cylindrical structure containing an electron gun, helix, and collector. This design allows for wide bandwidth amplification critical to radar, satellite communication, and microwave links. According to the researchers’ peer-reviewed June 2025 publication, the miniaturized TWT improves bandwidth, power output, and efficiency, enhancing detection range and accuracy for