US EditionPentagon and DOE Fly Advanced Nuclear Reactor to Utah for Testing
The WardZero reactor is part of a program to achieve reactor criticality by July 4, 2026, enhancing defense energy resilience and domestic nuclear innovation.
- On Sunday, February 15, 2026, the U.S. Department of War airlifted a next-generation reactor via Air Force C-17 from March Air Reserve Base to Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
- The Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program and DoW efforts relax NRC rules to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment, driven by a policy push following Executive Order 14301.
- Valar Atomics supplied six containerized modules for the effort, having raised $19,000,000, and reporters saw the modules staged in the C-17, which can haul more than 85 tons.
- Officials say the testing at Utah will assess how advanced reactors could support military installations, and Michael Duffey said this marks a "tremendous milestone" for harnessing nuclear power.
- Operation Windlord positions the effort as strategic deployment, with Valar framing Ward 250 as a `second Manhattan Project` and officials targeting 300 gigawatts by 2050.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Press-Telegram
Nuclear reactors at March base head for Utah in a first-of-its-kind airlift
March Air Reserve Base was used to transport unfueled nuclear reactors from Southern California to northern Utah in the first airlift of its kind on Sunday morning, Feb. 15. The flight advances President Trump’s goals for nuclear energy, which include rapidly building reactors to power artificial intelligence data centers for defense, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The six nuclear modules were supplied by El Segundo-based Valar Atom…
Department of War Partners With Department of Energy in Historic Nuclear Energy Initiative
The Department of War (DoW) and the Department of Energy (DoE) are partnering to mark a historic milestone in advancing America's nuclear energy landscape and strengthening national security. This groundbreaking collaboration with Valar Atomics is directly aligned with President Trump's Executive Order to reshape and modernize America's nuclear energy landscape.
Airlift of nuclear reactor from Riverside to Utah deemed a milestone
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