Varian VA-842 klystron, 1959

This 1959 Varian Klystron (VA-842), a liquid-cooled, multicavity radar transmitting tube, was the largest documented production klystron, weighing in at 900 lbs. It was used in the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, a Cold-War radar system designed to detect Russian missiles and aircraft. This example was given to Douglas M. Perham by Varian Associates for his electronics museum in 1959, and was later on display at the Fry's Electronics store in Sunnyvale, California.