PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The objective of the project is to develop a high-power Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) servicing the extended V-Band uplink band from 47.2GHz to 52.4GHz. This TWT is intended to be used in ground stations for satellite communication uplink.
The targeted peak output power of 600W is enabled by using a Folded-Waveguide (FWG) delay line. 600W are a significant increase over the existing helix-based TWTs, which typically top out at 250W, and will allow a significant reduction in antenna sizes for ground uplink stations. This is expected to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of these stations by 25-50%.
Furthermore, this TWT will support the migration of uplink services to V-Band, which is motivated by the increasing congestion of the lower uplink frequency bands due to increased demand.
Benefits
The high-power TWT developed under this project will provide approximately twice the output power of currently available helix-based amplifiers. This unique capability will enable antenna manufacturers and ground station operators to significantly reduce antenna size while maintaining the same link performance, resulting in a projected 25-50% reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO). Alternatively, the higher available RF power can be used to increase link margin, improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and support higher data rates. The product will therefore offer a clear competitive advantage in terms of performance, system cost, and operational flexibility for future V-band ground communication systems.
Features
The key features of the product are an unprecedented output power at the targeted frequency range, acceptable signal distortions that can be addressed with linearization techniques, and a thermal, mechanical, and high-voltage interface that is manageable by the TWTA integrator.
This is supported by the use of a FWG delay line, which can manage electron beam of much higher power than a helix delay line. The FWG delay line is well-industrialised by Thales and has a very significant production heritage. This delay line provides a good compromise between power-handling, bandwidth, and conversion efficiency to meet these requirements.
Challenges
The main technical challenge of this project is the integration of a high-power electron beam within the TWT architecture while maintaining stable and efficient operation. This requires careful optimisation of beam optics, focusing, high-voltage insulation, thermal management, and suppression of self-excitation phenomena. In addition, the developed device must provide the required output power, linearity, and low signal distortion across the full extended V-Band uplink frequency range. A further challenge is the industrial manufacturing of the Folded-Waveguide delay line, which must achieve micrometre-level precision while ensuring repeatability, reliability, and compliance with the demanding Radio Frequency (RF) performance requirement.
System Architecture
The system is a Travelling Wave Tube (TWT), which amplifies an incident RF signal by transfer of energy from an electron beam. Main elements of a TWT are electron gun including beam-optics, delay line, collector, vacuum envelope and housing.
The electron gun provides a beam of electrons from a thermionic cathode, focused into a thin pencil shape by the magnetic beam-optics.
The electron beam travels through a FWG delay line, along the RF signal. Due to the interaction between electric field of the RF signal and electron beam, power is transferred from the beam to the RF wave, which is consequently amplified.
The amplified RF signal is extracted at an output waveguide, while the depleted electron beam is absorbed in a multi-stage depressed collector, thus recovering the majority of the remaining energy and increasing the efficiency of the device.
This whole process requires a high vacuum, which is supplied by the vacuum envelope. A housing provides a thermal, high-voltage, and mechanical interface suitable for further integration.
The TWT is intended to be used in a Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA), which combines the TWT with power supply, linearizer, and housing suitable for integration in a base station.
Plan
The project will be implemented in two phases. During the technology phase, the product concept will be developed, manufactured, and validated through breadboard and engineering model activities. The associated manufacturing processes will also be engineered and qualified. During the product phase, the final design will be manufactured, tested, and qualified to demonstrate compliance with the target performance and requirements.
Current Status
Following the successful project kick-off held in mid-2026, the project team initiated the design and simulation activities for the high-power V-Band TWT. The ongoing work is focused on the development, manufacturing, and assembly of the first breadboard model, which will be used to validate the key design concepts and critical technologies. The initial measurement campaign is planned for the end of 2026 and will provide the first experimental verification of the tube performance, supporting the subsequent maturation of the design towards the next development stages.
