[MasterGunner01]

The U.S. actually considered building nuclear powered long range strategic bombers in the 1950s. The NB-36 was converted to carry a fully operational nuclear power plant as proof-of-concept, but it did not power the aircraft. The NB-36 cockpit was heavily shielded from the radiation and the crew was sealed inside with a 3-ton plug. If the NB-36 went down, the crew was along for the ride.

When the NB-36 flew, there was a C-119 chase plane with a group of fully armed paratroops. Should the NB-36 crash, they were to jump at the crash site to secure the nuclear material until authorities and decontamination teams arrived.

What killed the nuclear bomber was the stark fact that a crash would spread radioactive materials over a large area and require tons of remedial work. The nuclear bomber was canceled. The same thing applies to a nuclear powered drone.

[U-238]

The NB-36 was built from a B-36 that had been damaged from a tornado.

[Hunton Peck]

I recall reading about the possibility of nuclear-powered command & control planes also. I don’t know if that idea ever made it to anything you could even call a planning stage.