Posted on 10/24/2021 2:20:44 PM PDT by algore
The U.S. Air Force recently announced that it has picked Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska as the base to host a new small nuclear reactor as part of a pilot program.
The U.S. military, as a whole, together with the Department of Energy has been increasingly looking into micro-reactor designs as possible ways to meet ever-growing electricity demands, including for units on the battlefield, as well as to help cut costs and improve general operational efficiency by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The Department of the Air Force announced the selection of Eielson as the host facility for this pilot reactor on Oct. 18, 2021. The base is situated deep within the interior of Alaska near the city of Fairbanks and is around 110 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
It is home to the active-duty 354th Fighter Wing, which flies F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and F-16 Viper aggressor jets, as well as the Alaska Air National Guard's 168th Air Refueling Wing with its KC-135 tankers, among other units.
“Energy is a critical asset to ensure mission continuity at our installations,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety, and Infrastructure Mark Correll said in a statement.
“Micro-reactors are a promising technology for ensuring energy resilience and reliability, and are particularly well-suited for powering and heating remote domestic military bases like Eielson AFB.”
Well isn’t the. Navy about rum the lash and sodomy?
Too much power for Alaska. We’re too small.
Good heavens, no! No rum.
If you can stuff a reactor inside of a submarine, why not other small-scale platforms?
At the Idaho National Labs there was an old plane engine that was nuclear powered. I have no idea if it ever ran.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear-powered_aircraft
I skimmed the article - sounds like it was never used in a plane. Shielding of the pilots from the nuclear reaction was the big thing.
Set it up 500 yards from the Alaskan village and run a cable down - should be fine.
What could possibly go wrong? (Soviet version):
https://youtu.be/NT8-b5YEyjo?si=DOY0lwtlsSc_ZWsM
The Alaska Air Base Tech:
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