First-Ever Airlift of a U.S. Mini Nuclear Reactor

In a historic first, the U.S. military has airlifted a small nuclear reactor from California to Utah, demonstrating the feasibility of rapidly deploying nuclear power in remote or emergency locations.

The reactor, roughly the size of a small bus, was transported without nuclear fuel for safety reasons aboard a C-17 cargo plane to Hill Air Force Base in a joint operation by the Departments of Defense and Energy and private company Valar Atomics.

Once operational, it will generate enough electricity to power approximately 5,000 homes, with testing beginning later this year.

The move signals a major shift toward mobile, resilient nuclear energy for military and civilian use, potentially transforming disaster response, remote operations, and forward military base logistics by providing reliable, carbon-free power anywhere in the world on short notice.