Compact and Rugged L-Band HPM-Source for Missile Payload

We have proposed the development of a new Rugged High-Power Microwave (RHPM) system that can fit in a missile payload bay while meeting the desired RF power output and center frequency requirements. The proposed RHPM is based on a new design that integrates a Vircator RF oscillator with a compact power supply within the pre-determined weight and space specifications. The design builds upon our earlier-developed pulsed-power and high-power microwave (HPM) technologies. Significant innovations in the proposed RHPM design include: the vircator electrode configuration and materials that make high RF-power extraction possible at the specified RF frequency; devices to make the vircator RF source frequency tunable and vacuum free; use of low-power IGBTs rather than power-MOSFET or high-power IGBTs; and the use of a new pulse power scheme, other than Marx generator, that makes the system free from isolation gas or liquids. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of the compact module and, in Phase II, we will develop a full scale prototype that meets all Army requirements.