U.S. Air Force personnel, including reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing, have supported the first military airlift of a transportable micro-nuclear reactor.
The operation, known as Operation Windlord, saw a C-17 Globemaster III deliver the containerised reactor to Hill Air Force Base in Utah on 15 February. The system forms part of Project Pele, a U.S. Department of Defense initiative to develop small, transportable nuclear reactors designed to provide power to remote or austere military locations.
Following the aircraft’s arrival, logistics teams including the 67th Aerial Port Squadron, 151st Air Transportation Flight and 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron were responsible for unloading and transferring the reactor. The effort demonstrated the handling of highly specialised cargo and the integration of reserve and active units in strategic airlift operations, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Tech. Sgt. William McCalmant, cargo processing supervisor with the 67th APS, said: “This operation is a prime example of how the Reserve is a day-to-day operational force. We’re not just training for a future conflict. We are delivering readiness and enabling the military’s lethality now, ensuring groundbreaking technology like this can be fielded safely and effectively.”
The microreactor, roughly the size of a standard shipping container, is designed with modular components and safety systems that allow transport by air, land or sea and assembly at forward locations. It is intended to reduce reliance on conventional fuel supply chains, which can be vulnerable and logistically demanding.
Now they just need to make it power the plane
What could possibly go wrong?