Overrall situational awareness is the goal of any sensor system. Radar in general, is unique in its ability to provide this capability under many environmental conditions. Specific radar configurations (i.e. SAR, Doppler, CW, Pulsed, AESA, etc.) have been optimized to suit specific applications. The characteristics of the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum selected for any of these particular system designs are perhaps the most important to the end user, as it has the greatest impact on the type of information required and received.

Radar systems in the lower microwave frequencies (below 4 GHz) provide the ability to detect objects at long ranges. Higher frequency systems (ie: X-band) have a reduced ability to search at longer ranges but can track and distinguish between items such as a rocket booster stage, debris or a satellite. Such high frequency systems require guidance via lower frequency systems in order to focus on specific search areas due to the relationship between frequency and resolution.

Both commercial and military radar systems will continue to be developed throughout the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Twenty-year federal spectrum requirements for radar bands L through Ku bear out the need for this requirement. With five to ten times the power handling capability, solid-state power amplifiers, employing GaN devices, are ideal for such applications making them suitable replacements in systems where TWTs are currently employed.

Although the use of GaN technology in these applications is growing, CTT's GaAs-based power amplifiers continue to offer specific benefits in low- power low-voltage systems, as well as in those system applications demanding high linearity - GaAs having established a long record of reliability, low cost, wide availability and excellent overall performance.

The nature of continuingly emerging applicactions rely on the complexities made possible by advancements from the digital arena, requiring electronic systems of the future to incorporate faithfully amplified complex wave forms, with multiple modulation schemes and pulse patterns distributed over wide bandwidths.

Multi-function systems will have to transmit and receive with maximum flexibility across a wide bandwidth, sometimes in adjacent channels and/or within the same frequency and/or time slot.

This evolution points toward multiple use hardware to maximize versatility and minimize multifunction cost, size, weight and owner. In one specific application this versatility proves its value by limiting a radar's acceptability to jamming by operating in a frequency-agile ode. This forces any jamming effort to spread its power over the hole bandwidth, even though the radar is only using a very arrow instantaneous bandwidth.

More advanced systems will employ "look ahead" frequency agility wherein the system selects the next operating frequency and checks to see that it is unoccupied. If clear, that frequency is used. If not, another frequency selection is checked, then made.

CTT engineers have developed a proprietary open architecture/common platform which relies on advanced multi-octave combiner design and unique substrate material selection. The result is adaptable, modular amplifiers requiring only a single supply voltage.

CTT's family of amplifiers are finding applications in many of the next generation of high- performance communications, instrumentation and medical systems where high power is required. CTT's new GaN power amplifiers - with 203 operating efficiencies - offer cost-effective performance solutions.

Whether commercial or military, radar system power consumption is an increasingly important design criteria. CTT offers TTL-controlled main bias shut-off circuitry matched to the system's pulse operation. With the amplifier drawing much less power between pulses, both total power consumption and temperature rise is reduced.

In general, most pulse radars operate at a duty cycle of 103 or less. As such, CTT's pulsed power amplifiers are an attractive solution.

Using a TTL control, by turning off the FETs (drain) the amplifier only consumes 100 to 200 mA for the logic and bias circuit. When the TTL is turned on, the unit will operate after a short rise time. During this "on time" the amplifier's power consumption is identical to that in CW operation. Thus, when the duty cycle is 103 or less, the unit will consume much less power. Therefore, the amplifier's heat sink and power supply can be significantly smaller.

Engineered specifically to meet the stringent requirements imposed by many modern system designs, CTT's family of power amplifiers, perform a wide range of functions. Whether the application is narrowband, wideband or a-wideband, operating in pulsed or CW mode, CTT's amplifiers are an ally attractive choice new multi-function systems at effectively conserve space and power assumption though the of several stand- one functions into a single stem.

These amplifiers are designed for commercial, industrial and military applications. For military applications CTT power amplifiers are manufactured to meet the requirements of MIL-STD-883, Methods 2010 and 2017, with soldering compliant to J-STD-001. These procedures also make the amplifiers excellent ices for applications requiring MEL-E-5400.

CTT has shipped thousands amplifiers into many radar, communications, EW, UAV and link programs.CTT's proprietary amplifier designs are the refinement of decades of amplifier and subassembly experience. In addition to this design heritage, these amplifiers take full advantage of the repeatability and cost effectiveness of CTT's fully automated in-house production line.