XI’AN: Chinese researchers have detailed a compact pulsed-power device designed to drive high-power microwave systems, describing a unit that can generate extremely high peak power while remaining small enough for transport. The work was published in the peer reviewed journal High Power Laser and Particle Beams and is attributed to researchers affiliated with the Key Laboratory on Science and Technology on High Power Microwave at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology in Xi’an.
The paper describes the system as a “compact lightweight Tesla-transformer pulsed power driver” built to produce short, intense bursts of electrical power for high-power microwave generation. Pulsed-power drivers are a core component in directed-energy research because they provide the rapid, high-voltage energy needed to excite microwave sources. The authors focused on engineering performance, reporting measured electrical characteristics rather than operational use in the field.
According to the published specifications, the driver achieved a peak output power of 20 gigawatts with a pulse duration of 50 nanoseconds. The paper reports a flat-top fluctuation of under 2% and lists a maximum repetition rate of 50 hertz. The authors presented these as indicators of output stability and control, which are central metrics for pulsed-power systems intended to deliver repeated pulses.
The researchers said the device measures about 4.0 meters by 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters and has a mass of about 5 metric tons. They characterized the unit as compact and lightweight for its power class, a combination typically constrained by the size of power conditioning components, insulation requirements and mechanical structure. The publication presents the driver as an integrated system intended to be moved and installed without the scale of infrastructure used by larger laboratory pulsed-power machines.
Compact pulsed-power driver
The paper also reports endurance operation over continuous one-minute durations, describing stable output during sustained runs. It cites about 200,000 pulses in the context of these tests, alongside the maximum repetition rate figure, and presents the results as evidence of robustness under repeated firing. The publication’s emphasis is on repeatability and steadiness, two requirements for directed-energy experimentation where consistent pulse shape and timing determine how effectively downstream microwave hardware can be driven.
The authors describe the underlying architecture as a Tesla-transformer based design and frame the device as a driver that can be paired with high-power microwave sources. In such systems, the driver’s role is to compress energy in time, delivering high-voltage pulses that feed components that convert electrical energy into microwave radiation. The paper’s focus remains on the driver itself, outlining the electrical output, physical footprint and operational stability rather than detailing antenna configurations, beam control or target engagement parameters.
Broader directed-energy research
High-power microwave research is part of a wider field of directed-energy technologies that aim to affect electronic components through intense electromagnetic energy. In China, high-power microwave terminology has appeared publicly in official descriptions of counter-drone equipment shown alongside other counter-UAS systems. Those disclosures have typically referenced microwave and laser technologies as separate elements within layered air-defense demonstrations, without providing detailed performance data for each subsystem.
The publication from Xi’an adds a set of laboratory-reported benchmarks to the open technical record, centered on peak power, pulse duration, repetition rate, stability and portability. The paper does not describe deployment, operational integration or testing against specific targets, and it does not claim a completed weapon system. Instead, it presents the pulsed-power driver as a supporting technology intended to enable high-power microwave experiments and applications where compact size and sustained, repeatable output are required.