The auditory version of this piece is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, celebrating and backing our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover further details at afa.org
The Air Force is furthering its initiative to create miniature nuclear reactors to energize military installations.
Through a solicitation for data issued on March 25 via SAM.gov, the Air Force indicated it is seeking input from firms regarding their capacity to conceive, permit, energize, build, and implement compact nuclear reactor systems.
Merely a month prior, Airmen showcased the capability to convey a compact nuclear reactor on a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, journeying by air from one facility to another to illustrate the simplicity with which such reactors could be relocated in operational settings.
The Air Force intends to commence furnishing by the close of the decade up to nine installations, among them Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Equipping installations with micro-reactors pledges to guarantee safe and dependable energy more resilient against cybernetic assaults and environmental calamities compared to communal power grids.
The announcement from March 25 states USAF intends to utilize data collected from the inquiry to ascertain if sufficient providers are available for micro-reactors to conduct a competitive acquisition process—or if a preferential award for small enterprises will be requisite.
The solicitation for data prompts responders to delineate their principal compact, miniature, or modular reactor systems, encompassing the reactor’s classification, its production capacity, and its potential deployment methods. Firms additionally will be required to outline indigenous production sites and their logistical networks, comprising any overseas reliance. They must elaborate on key precursors of reactor malfunction and initial alert signs warranting observation, among other engineering specifications.
The data will be employed to delineate the branch’s procurement approach.
Firms are required to reply to the RFI no later than April 19, the announcement stated.
The compact reactor sector has grown in preceding years and currently encompasses over half a dozen rivals:
- BWXT of Lynchburg, Va., Rolls-Royce in Britain, and Westinghouse in Cranberry, Pa., are all reputable companies
- Oklo Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., has been selected to construct a micro-reactor at Eielson
- Valar Atomics, of Hawthorne, Calif., constructed the compact nuclear reactor flown on the C-17
- X-Energy of Rockville, Md., is a new venture supported by Amazon
- TerraPower of Bellevue, Wash., is erecting a demonstration facility in Wyoming
- Kairos Power of Alameda, Calif., has an agreement with Google to supply reactors to power some of its data centers
On Feb. 17, the Air Force furthermore elucidated how aviators from the 452nd Air Mobility Wing readied, examined, and stowed a cutting-edge reactor—identified as a Ward 250 reactor—aboard a C-17 at March Air Reserve Base in California.
The C-17 departed on Feb. 14 and reached Hill Air Force Base in Utah the following day as a component of the multi-agency operation, christened Operation Windlord.
The Ward 250 constitutes a portable 5-megawatt system engineered to offer mobile energy provision, the Air Force stated. It was slated to commence trials and assessment at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab, as a segment of a collaboration between the Energy and Defense departments.
“Our aviators performed intricate logistical maneuvers with exactitude and expertise to guarantee this vital resource was securely readied, examined, and stowed for conveyance,” Maj. Edward Bobbett, Leader of the 452nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, remarked in the Feb. 17 announcement. “March persists in functioning as a national force projection hub, aiding all branches, allied associates, and pioneering entities as we furnish crucial capability precisely when and where it is required.”
The auditory version of this piece is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, celebrating and backing our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover further details at afa.org