Revitalization of Nuclear Powered Flight - Potential Air Force Development of Compact Fusion Powered Aircraft Propelled by Electric Engines, Incorporation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Technology

This short report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction - it is not a print replica, and thus it is suitable for all devices. Contents: Revitalization of Nuclear Powered Flight * 2019 U.S. Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessment.

There has been a lot of talk about the need to develop the third offset, of which human-machine integration seems to have dominated the conversation. The only problem is that our machines are no good unless they have power. Power to fly and run the sensors and weapons the mission requires. Machines for the USAF come in the form of airplanes, which cannot get to the fight without tanker support or stay in the air for a sufficient time. As the USAF looks to the future, it continues to invest heavily in tanker support and operations that are both expensive and not conducive to surviving in a denied environment. We must develop better ways to get our assets to the fight and maintain flight for longer periods of time. One potential solution is to reinvest in nuclear powered flight. The technical challenges seen in the 1950s & 60s could be overcome with today's technology, we just need to set the goal. The ramifications of successfully developing a nuclear propulsion system go far beyond just a military advantage and would serve to revolutionize the way humans travel. This paper takes aim at the feasibility of nuclear powered flight today, along with identifying potential risks and recommendations.

The concept of military, nuclear-powered flight ran from 1946 to 1964 and was applied to both aircraft and cruise missiles. The goal of this section is not to review in detail the events that transpired during that period, but to highlight some of the technological changes, as well the political changes, which ultimately terminated nuclear powered flight programs. In doing so, the lessons of the past can shed light on some of the potential roadblocks that need to be overcome.

From the technological side, there were several issues that needed to be addressed. First, how do you protect the crew from radiation exposure without adding so much weight that it makes the aircraft unable to fly? Ideas of the time were to distribute the shielding between the reactor, fuselage, and crew compartments in order to protect the crew. Second, was determining if an airframe could house a reactor. The B-36 was selected as it was the largest bomber platform in the inventory, and when carrying a nuclear reactor was renamed the NB-36. Third, was developing a response in the event a nuclear aircraft crashed. For this, marines would fly in a chase plane, and in the event of a crash would secure the area to minimize contamination exposure to non-military personnel. These elements were merged together along with a nuclear reactor, and on September 17, 1955 the first of 47 test flights were made. These test flight never used the nuclear reactor to propel the aircraft, but tested the shielding concepts.

Introduction * Strategic Environment Today/Tomorrow * Nuclear Powered Aircraft History * Why Revitalize the Nuclear Powered Aircraft Concept Today? * Potential Risks * Recommendations * Conclusion