This work describes neutron sources with gas-plasma target made by FSUE "VNIIA". Such sources implement nuclear fusion reactions of deuterium with deuterium or deuterium with tritium, accompanied by the neutron generation with energies of 2.5 MeV and 14 MeV, respectively. The advantage of such sources is a long lifetime due to the absence of a solid target, which degrades relatively quickly due to thermal and mechanical loads.

Pulsed neutron sources developed by FSUE "VNIIA" are made on the basis of plasma focus (PF) chambers. A non-cylindrical z-pinch discharge is implemented in the chambers. Neutron generators in such sources include a pulse current generator with an amplitude from 100 to 1200 kA and PF chamber as a load. Pulsed neutron generators on PF chambers make it possible to generate powerful short neutron pulses with a duration of 10 to 60 ns with an neutron yield of 10⁵–10¹² neutrons/pulse. The lifetime of such generators is up to several thousand consecutive operations, which is achieved through a gas-plasma target and the use of a sealed PF chamber design. In which hydrogen isotopes are contained in a special gas generator and can be released into the chamber internal volume in a controlled manner. This work describes the features of a titanium gas generator. Consequently experimentally have been showed a slight decrease in the average neutron yield of such PF chambers after more than 12 years of storage.

Continuous neutron sources developed by FSUE "VNIIA" are systems based on inertial electrostatic plasma confinement (IEC). In such devices, fusion reactions occur due to repeated oscillations of hydrogen isotope ions through a gas-plasma target in two-electrode spherical chambers. They provides the generation of a neutron flux in continuous or frequency-pulse modes at a level of 10⁵÷10⁸ neutrons/s and a device operating lifetime up to tens of thousands of hours. The main characteristics of a generator with an IEC chamber with eight Penning-type ion sources and a generator with an IEC chamber operating in pulse-frequency mode are presented. In the first case, the total discharge current is 5÷10 mA, which ensures the neutron yieldwith an energy of 14 MeV at the level of (1÷2)∙10⁸ neutrons/s. For a pulse generator with an IEC chamber, the results of measuring the neutron yield at a charging voltage of up to 105 kV, a discharge current amplitude of up to 60 A, and a pulse repetition rate from single to 300 Hz are presented. A neutron flux with an energy of 2.5 MeV up to 5∙10⁶ neutrons/s was experimentally obtained.