List of nuclear-powered aircraft

Last updated

Below is a list of nuclear powered aircraft and concepts:

Name or designationManufacturerRoleNationalityPeriodNotability
9M730 Burevestnik [1] [2] [3] [4] Cruise MissileFlag of Russia.svg  Russia 2018
Bell D-1007 Bell Textron HelicopterFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Convair Model 23 [5] [6] Convair BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Convair N-1 Convair BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Convair N-2 Convair BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Convair NB-36H [7] [1] Convair BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Convair NX-2 CAMAL [8] Convair BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Convair X-6 [9] [10] Convair BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
De Havilland NP-3 De Havilland BomberFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1950s
De Havilland NP-4 De Havilland BomberFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1950s
Douglas Model 26 [11] Douglas Aircraft Corporation BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Douglas WS-125A Douglas Aircraft Corporation BomberFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Fedorov nuclear plane FedorovSpaceplane/Helicopter conceptFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1920s
Hughes Interceptor Hughes Aircraft Corporation InterceptorFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Lockheed CL-195 Lockheed Corporation Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Lockheed CL-1201 [12] Lockheed Corporation TransportFlag of the United States.svg  United States 1960s
Lockheed L-248-3 [13] Lockheed Corporation Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Myasischev M-30 [14] Myasischev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1950s
Myasischev M-60 [15] Myasischev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1950s
Northrop N-34 [16] Northrop Corporation Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Northrop N-108 [16] Northrop Corporation Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s
Supersonic Low Altitude Missile [1] Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1964
Tupolev Tu-95LAL [1] Tupolev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1950s
Tupolev Tu-119 [17] Tupolev Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1950s
WS-125 [18] Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1950s

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">WS-125</span> US proposed nuclear powered strategic bomber

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker P.1103</span> Cancelled British interceptor aircraft design

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas 1211-J</span> Type of aircraft

The Douglas 1211-J was a bomber aircraft design developed by American aircraft manufacturer Douglas to compete with the Boeing B-52 design for a major United States Air Force contract between 1946 and 1954. The Model 1211-J design was 160 feet long with a wingspan of 227 feet, and was powered by four turboprop engines. The aircraft was designed around a new 43,000-pound conventional bomb but could carry nuclear weapons as well. It could also carry its own fighter escorts, as parasites under its wings. These fighters' jet engines were to be powered up to assist the carrier bomber during takeoff; refueling of the fighters was to take place while they were stowed on the mothership's underwing pylons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed CL-1201</span> American nuclear-powered aircraft design study

The Lockheed CL-1201 was a design study by Lockheed for a giant 6,000 ton nuclear-powered transport aircraft in the late 1960s. One envisioned use of the concept was as an airborne aircraft carrier.

The General Dynamics Model 100 was a 1960s proposal for a counter-insurgency (COIN) ground attack aircraft intended for use by the United States Air Force (USAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotha Go P.60</span> Late-WWII German flying wing fighter proposal

The Gotha Go P.60 was a jet-powered flying wing fighter proposed during World War II by Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha). It was conceived as an improved derivative of the single-seat Horten Ho 229, which Gotha had begun to manufacture as the Go 229. The initial concept a two-seat multi-role fighter that was subsequently developed into a three-seat night and all-weather fighter, but no variant was ever built.

The Convair Model 23 was a 1950s design for an American nuclear-powered seaplane for the United States Navy. Like the Air Force's WS-125, the Model 23 never left the drawing board due to risks posed by operations of nuclear-powered aircraft.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Trakimavičius, Lukas. "The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military" (PDF). NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  2. Panda, Ankit [@nktpnd] (November 20, 2018). "Update from a source: Russia's Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile has a NATO designator – SSC-X-9 SKYFALL. (USIC also calls this missile the KY30.)" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. "Russian nuclear engineers buried after 'Skyfall nuclear' blast". Al Jazeera. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  4. Lendon, Brad (20 July 2018). "Russia shows off new weapons after Trump summit". CNN. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  5. Bradley, Robert, 2010. Convair Advanced Designs: Secret Projects from San Diego 1923-1962. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press. ISBN   9781580071338
  6. Buttler, Tony (2010). American Secret Projects: Bombers, Attack and Anti-Submarine Aircraft 1945 to 1974. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN   978-1-85780-331-0.[ page needed ]
  7. "Convair NB-36H "The Crusader"". National Museum of the US Air Force. 2009-06-26. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  8. "NX-2_ANP_1951-1961_Convair_Nuclear_Propulsion_Jet.PDF" via docs.google.com.
  9. Atomic Energy Commission and Department of Defense (February 1963). Report to the Congress of the United States – Review of manned aircraft nuclear propulsion program (PDF). The Comptroller General of the United States. p. 141. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  10. "Nuclear Powered Aircraft", Radiation works, Brookings Institution, archived from the original on March 2, 2006.
  11. AMERICAN SECRET PROJECTS BOMBERS, ATTACK AND ANTI-SUBMARINE AIRCRAFT 1945 TO 1974, Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN   978-1-85780-331-0 page 94.
  12. Rose, Bill; Secret Projects: Flying Wings and Tailless Aircraft. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2010. ISBN   978-1-85780-320-4.[ page needed ]
  13. Rose, Bill; Secret Projects: Flying Wings and Tailless Aircraft. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2010. ISBN   978-1-85780-320-4.[ page needed ]
  14. "M-30 Draft strategic bomber - RedStar". www.redstar.gr.
  15. "М-60 В.М.Мясищева". www.testpilot.ru.
  16. 1 2 Flying Wings and Radical Things, page 262.
  17. Buttler & Gordon 2004 , pp. 79–80
  18. "Aviation History: The airplane that never was". www.aopa.org. January 1, 2018.

Bibliography