WS-125
| WS-125 | |
|---|---|
 A cutaway drawing of the proposed WS-125 testbed aircraft | |
| General information | |
| Project for | Long-range Nuclear-powered aircraft strategic bomber |
| Issued by | United States Air Force |
| Requirement | WS-125 |
The WS-125 was an American super-long-range strategic bomber project during the Cold War to develop a nuclear-powered aircraft.
Development
In 1954, the United States Air Force (USAF) issued a weapons system requirement for a nuclear-powered bomber, designated WS-125. In 1956, General Electric teamed up with Convair (X211 program) and Pratt & Whitney with Lockheed in competitive engine/airframe development to address the requirement.
In 1956, the USAF decided that the proposed WS-125 bomber was unfeasible as an operational strategic aircraft. Finally, after spending more than $1 billion, the project was cancelled on March 28, 1961.[citation needed]
Powerplants
Two General Electric J87 turbojet engines were successfully powered to nearly full thrust using two shielded reactors. Two experimental engines complete with reactor systems (HTRE-3 and HTRE-1, which was modified and renamed HTRE-2) are located at the EBR-1 facility south of the Idaho National Laboratory.
See also
- List of nuclear-powered aircraft
- Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion – U.S. project 1946–1961
- 9M730 Burevestnik (Russia)
- Project Pluto – US nuclear ramjet project, 1957–1964
- Convair NB-36H – American experimental plane (1955–61)
- Convair X-6 – US proposed nuclear-powered plane (1950s)
Notes
- ↑ "Aviation History: The airplane that never was". www.aopa.org. January 1, 2018. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
References
- Butler, Tony (2010). American Secret Projects. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-331-0.
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