A nuclear powered aircraft

[Mega_Man]

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160713-could-this-be-the-first-nuclear-powered-airliner

Nuclear reactors could theoretically stay in the air for months at a time – as long as you had an aircraft big enough to have crew that could fly and sleep in shifts.

The US Air Force looked at converting B-36 bombers with a nuclear powerplant

The single NB-36H flew dozens of missions – but the reactor was never used to power the aircraft in flight

Russia tests nuclear power engine for its new Burevestnik cruise missile
https://www.uawire.org/russia-tests-nuclear-power-engine-for-its-new-burevestnik-cruise-missile

Russia’s development of the Burevestnik began in 2011 in connection with the US’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. In the spring of 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly that the planned nuclear power engine for the Burevestnik would give it a virtually unlimited flight range, and that it can also fly at a low altitude due to its landscape tracking system.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a25728221/terrapower-china-bill-gates-trump/
Gates invested in TerraPower in 2011 with the hope of helping to prove the company's core concept: a so-called traveling-wave reactor (TWR) which would run on depleted uranium, as opposed to the enriched uranium commonly used in nuclear plants. The concept is appealing on several levels—not only would its small design lower the currently rising price of nuclear energy, it would actually consume the trash pumped out by today's modern reactors.


We have an investor who wants to build a miniature size nuclear power plant, but his project was halted due to US policies of trade war with china.(but these policies don't effect Pakistan)
Russians already acquired such technology,
And build a nuclear powered cruise missile which can target anywhere in the world,
Nuclear reactors are basically heat engines. As uranium fissions, the breaking apart of atoms releases energy, much of it in the form of heat, which can then be used to do work. In a nuclear-powered submarine, reactor heat produces steam to drive the turbines that provide the submarine's actual power.

We have geniuses all around us if we use their expertise we can build a marvel which will change the geopolitics scenario in our favor. Time to outsmart our adversaries in technology.

 

[LeGenD]

This concept is not new but prototyping proved problematic and safety concerns are paramount on top.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion
[2] http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2018/ph241/dull1/

"The ANP was abandoned in 1961. While this was primarily because of the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), several serious technical concerns remained through its termination. First and foremost, despite the large quantity of energy contained in nuclear fuels, a nuclear-powered engine capable of delivering the power density necessary to fly a large aircraft has yet to be successfully designed. Until that happens, any discussion of a future with nuclear-powered aircrafts is purely speculation. In addition, due to the close quarters of an aircraft, the crew could be exposed to radiation from the nuclear reactor. Because thick lead shielding would be too heavy, a distributed shielding method was being developed at the time of the ANP to eliminate specific radioactive particles. Of course, to commercialize a nuclear-powered passenger plane, this technology would need to be engineered to perfection to avoid any radiation poisoning. And finally, the event of a crash could be catastrophic for a nuclear aircraft. Extensive testing would be required to ensure that, in the event of a crash, the radioactive materials would be contained."

 

[Dante80]

Nuclear powered military aircraft never came to be. For a reason. Moreover, the inherent danger of the technology has prevented the civilian use of the concept.

Reading about project Pluto and SLAM gives a pretty sobering view at the dangers and specifics of the subject at hand, as far as missiles are concerned.

Far more feasible and desirable would be to venture on the subject of electric aircraft propulsion, in my honest opinion.

 

[Mega_Man]

I think you skipped the article
https://missilethreat.csis.org/russia-tests-nuclear-powered-burevestnik-cruise-missile/
Russia Tests Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile
And it was successful test.

 

[Dante80]

I think you skipped the article
https://missilethreat.csis.org/russia-tests-nuclear-powered-burevestnik-cruise-missile/
Russia Tests Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile
And it was successful test.

I didn't. I simply do not view this as a viable weapon. It is going to be under development for a lot of years still, and might never achieve the TRL needed for deployment.

 

[fitpOsitive]

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160713-could-this-be-the-first-nuclear-powered-airliner

Nuclear reactors could theoretically stay in the air for months at a time – as long as you had an aircraft big enough to have crew that could fly and sleep in shifts.

View attachment 554427
The US Air Force looked at converting B-36 bombers with a nuclear powerplant


View attachment 554428
The single NB-36H flew dozens of missions – but the reactor was never used to power the aircraft in flight

Russia tests nuclear power engine for its new Burevestnik cruise missile
https://www.uawire.org/russia-tests-nuclear-power-engine-for-its-new-burevestnik-cruise-missile

Russia’s development of the Burevestnik began in 2011 in connection with the US’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. In the spring of 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly that the planned nuclear power engine for the Burevestnik would give it a virtually unlimited flight range, and that it can also fly at a low altitude due to its landscape tracking system.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a25728221/terrapower-china-bill-gates-trump/
Gates invested in TerraPower in 2011 with the hope of helping to prove the company's core concept: a so-called traveling-wave reactor (TWR) which would run on depleted uranium, as opposed to the enriched uranium commonly used in nuclear plants. The concept is appealing on several levels—not only would its small design lower the currently rising price of nuclear energy, it would actually consume the trash pumped out by today's modern reactors.


We have an investor who wants to build a miniature size nuclear power plant, but his project was halted due to US policies of trade war with china.(but these policies don't effect Pakistan)
Russians already acquired such technology,
And build a nuclear powered cruise missile which can target anywhere in the world,
Nuclear reactors are basically heat engines. As uranium fissions, the breaking apart of atoms releases energy, much of it in the form of heat, which can then be used to do work. In a nuclear-powered submarine, reactor heat produces steam to drive the turbines that provide the submarine's actual power.

We have geniuses all around us if we use their expertise we can build a marvel which will change the geopolitics scenario in our favor. Time to outsmart our adversaries in technology.

In Germany, people are still facing a lot of problems due what happened in chernobyl. Many people loose their physical capacities with the passage of time, once they are exposed to nuclear waste that reached Germany. Some people loose they eyesight some loose their thyroid and so on.
We humans still are not worthy of using nuclear technology.
So better not to use it in any such field.

 

[Mega_Man]

Still A weapon which can target anywhere in the world and can surpass any existing anti missile technology is a hell of a deterrence.

 

[Zhukov]

And whats the benefit of a nuclear powered aircraft in the first place?
How much longer can an average air frame of a large aircraft bear the flight load exactly? compared to its fuel capacity? Aircrafts land not only to refuel but to rest from flying conditions and stress is it not?
and God forbades the Crashes that regularly occur. what about the nuclear spill?

 

[Smoke]

Nuclear aircraft will only be successful in Space, as then you can shield the reactors with as much weight to keep the pilots safe. This concept is only favourable for any SPACE FORCE.

 

[Mega_Man]

And our current nuclear technology is toddler proof, I guess. Nothing is safe, safest Japanese Nuclear power plants or Chernobyl incident proves it. Same talks were happening before Pakistan conducted first nuclear test that how it will effect humanity,

 

[YeBeWarned]

if that plane crash will it go off like a Nuclear bomb ?

 

[Silicon0000]

if that plane crash will it go off like a Nuclear bomb ?

Probably like a Dirty Bomb due to safe guards.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160713-could-this-be-the-first-nuclear-powered-airliner

Nuclear reactors could theoretically stay in the air for months at a time – as long as you had an aircraft big enough to have crew that could fly and sleep in shifts.

View attachment 554427
The US Air Force looked at converting B-36 bombers with a nuclear powerplant


View attachment 554428
The single NB-36H flew dozens of missions – but the reactor was never used to power the aircraft in flight

Russia tests nuclear power engine for its new Burevestnik cruise missile
https://www.uawire.org/russia-tests-nuclear-power-engine-for-its-new-burevestnik-cruise-missile

Russia’s development of the Burevestnik began in 2011 in connection with the US’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. In the spring of 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly that the planned nuclear power engine for the Burevestnik would give it a virtually unlimited flight range, and that it can also fly at a low altitude due to its landscape tracking system.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a25728221/terrapower-china-bill-gates-trump/
Gates invested in TerraPower in 2011 with the hope of helping to prove the company's core concept: a so-called traveling-wave reactor (TWR) which would run on depleted uranium, as opposed to the enriched uranium commonly used in nuclear plants. The concept is appealing on several levels—not only would its small design lower the currently rising price of nuclear energy, it would actually consume the trash pumped out by today's modern reactors.


We have an investor who wants to build a miniature size nuclear power plant, but his project was halted due to US policies of trade war with china.(but these policies don't effect Pakistan)
Russians already acquired such technology,
And build a nuclear powered cruise missile which can target anywhere in the world,
Nuclear reactors are basically heat engines. As uranium fissions, the breaking apart of atoms releases energy, much of it in the form of heat, which can then be used to do work. In a nuclear-powered submarine, reactor heat produces steam to drive the turbines that provide the submarine's actual power.

We have geniuses all around us if we use their expertise we can build a marvel which will change the geopolitics scenario in our favor. Time to outsmart our adversaries in technology.

Nuclear power plane .... Bad idea, not even worth to think twice.

Nuclear power missile ....... Similar to nuclear weapons ....... Just a deterrent and not for use..... so not worthy when you can do the job in much safer and cost effective way.

Nuclear power space ship to have a flight far from world / our solar system ........ a possibility.

 

[airomerix]

The reactor is simply too heavy and requires isolated space to function. Unless mini reactors are invented this concept will be a far cry.