Thales has launched its most powerful Ka-band Traveling Wave Tube. The TH 4092 is able to deliver 500 W peak and 350 W CW, and is intended for large earth-station uplinks for Broadcast and Internet Direct to Home applications. Developed by the company’s microwave and imaging sub-systems R&D teams, both in France and Germany, this TWT incorporates the technologies that underpin the global reputation of Thales’s electron tubes for performance and reliability.

The TH 4092 is the first of a new generation of Ka-band TWTs dedicated to the high power Satcom uplinks market. For this new development, the design margins have been increased with a top-down approach that will allow a high level of reliability. The company has capitalized on more than 30 years of heritage in Ka-band to deliver the new product.

All of Thales's Ka-band TWTs take advantage of technologies initially developed for space applications. The conduction-cooled TH 4092 features a four-stage collector design resulting in very high overall efficiency, typically 55 percent at saturation. The excellent performance of the company’s electron tubes, recognized worldwide, is based on long experience in the development and production of these highly specialized products, demanding unparalleled expertise and extensive industrial facilities. Thales produces more than 2,000 TWTs every year for satellite downlink and uplink markets.