Operation Windlord: US Air Force C-17 Transports Ward250 Nuclear Microreactor

In an unprecedented recent event, and as part of United States efforts to achieve energy self-sufficiency for military units, a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft has carried a nuclear microreactor. Widely publicised by the US Departments of War and Energy, the operation formed part of Operation Windlord.

Operation Windlord transports the Ward250 microreactor

Broadly, Operation Windlord involved C-17 aircraft from the US Air Force moving several components and modules of the new Ward250 microreactor, which was designed and manufactured by Valar Atomics. The aircraft transported the reactor from March Air Reserve Base in southern California to Hill Air Force Base.

Beyond the achievement of transporting the small nuclear reactor, Operation Windlord highlights efforts by the Departments of War and Energy to give the US Armed Forces greater energy self-sufficiency.

Energy independence for US military units

This is far from a minor concern, as electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply facilities-which power much of the daily lives of billions of people-are priority targets in potential conflicts. They may be targeted by both military and irregular forces across a range of domains, from conventional battlefields to cyberspace.

Many military units currently rely on commercial power generation and distribution networks to function. The United States is therefore examining the use of nuclear microreactors, including the aforementioned Ward250, to improve the independence of bases and units. They could also supply power to facilities situated far from urban centres, enabling them to operate without depending on the electricity grid.

Ward250 reactor technology and next steps

The development of the small reactor transported by the C-17s a few days ago responds to a series of directives issued under Executive Order 14301. It is a next-generation, 5-megawatt nuclear reactor using established and reliable nuclear-energy technologies: helium as a coolant, graphite as a moderator, and TRISO fuel-uranium kernels enclosed in ceramic layers for greater safety.

Marking the milestone, the US Air Force and Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, stressed: “The future of warfare will be energy intensive,” he said, “and will include artificial intelligence data centres, directed-energy weapons, as well as space and cyber infrastructure. The civilian power grid was not designed to support these demands, so the Department of War will have to build its own energy infrastructure.”

“To drive next-generation warfare, we will need to move faster than our adversaries to build a system that not only equips our warfighters to fight, but also to win at extraordinary speed,” Duffey added. “Today is a monumental step towards building that system. By supporting the industrial base and its capacity for innovation, we are accelerating the delivery of resilient power where it is needed.”

Finally, once the transport of the eight modules forming the nuclear reactor’s components has been completed, the Ward 250 will be flown to the Utah Energy Laboratory in San Rafael (USREL) for intensive testing. In its 17 February statement, the US Air Force indicated that this means “…by 4 July, the government expects three small reactors to reach criticality, meaning that they will be operating normally.”

You may also be interested in: After more than 30 years, the US Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter is nearing the end of its production run