Fifteen Years of Linearized Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifiers for Space Communications

The first L-3 linearized channel-amplifier traveling-wave tube amplifiers (LCTWTAs) started shipping in 2001 and launched on Echostar 8 on 22 Aug 2002. Since then, the satellite downlink amplifier market has seen an explosion in the use of LCTWTAs, with virtually every high-power geostationary satellite today taking advantage of the exceptional performance provided by these unique devices. We present an overview of the history, performance and in-orbit heritage of L-3 LCTWTAs produced for commercial satellite communications. The LCTWTA spot FIT rate, in particular, for units manufactured and integrated entirely at L-3 is less than 200.