Mission Microwave Technologies, a manufacturer of compact, highly efficient Solid State Power Amplifiers and Block Upconverters, have been selected through the U.S. Air Force SBIR Program for a Phase II contract to develop highly efficient and linear high-power Ka-Band Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs). The award is under SBIR program topic (AF151-150) for “Ka-Band Efficient, Linear Power Amplifiers for SATCOM Ground Terminals,” and aims to deliver over 70 watts of RF Power between 30-31 GHz, with more than 35% efficiency.
In Phase I of this SBIR program, Mission Microwave demonstrated the potential to meet aggressive program goals, targeting >35% SSPA system efficiency at linear operation, by combining multiple innovations in SSPA design, utilizing advanced GaN semiconductor technology, and end-to-end system architecture optimization. In this Phase II program, Mission Microwave will manufacture and deliver the SSPA concept module designed in Phase I, providing over 70 Watts of linear power at Ka-Band in a compact 5” x 5” x 5’’ form factor, weighing less than 6 lbs. This SSPA will extend the competitiveness of Solid State Power Amplifiers into power levels previously only achievable using TWT Amplifiers and will be ideal for use in comms-on-the-move and comms-on-the-pause applications.
