A compact diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:S-VAP laser has been demonstrated with Cr 4 + :YAG crystal as the saturable absorber. When CW pumped with a 1 W high-brightness laser diode, stable laser pulses of duration of 2.9 ns and energy of 13.7 μJ are observed with kilohertz repetition rates. The highest peak power of 4.6 kW was obtained at a incident pump power of 904 mW.