Americans study on nuclear-powered drones

Research institute Sandia National Laboratories and prime contractor Northrop Grumman have the capability studied for nuclear-powered drones to build. The unmanned airplanes would be months in the air.

The nuclear power of drones would be a number of problems with the existing technology to solve. So would such drones is much longer in the air can remain, maybe even months. It would also unmanned airplanes with nuclear drives more power to advanced espionage and weapon systems. Also the communication would can be enlarged.

Sandia late in a final report, namely a study of a next generation of drones to be completed, reports The Guardian. In the designs is, among other things, to nuclear propulsion as an alternative to drive with fossil fuels. The research institute notes, however, that the theoretical and conceptual research, in which Northrop is still no prototype has been built. All of the designs would only have been tested in computer simulations.

According to the researchers, there is little chance that in the short or medium term nuclear drones to be built. So would the public opinion an unmanned aircraft that is nuclear powered is not likely to accept. The risk of a nuclear accident if such a drone crashing would be too great. In addition, the technology after a crash in the hands of the enemy.

Although the researchers suggest that the potential construction and deployment of nuclear-powered drones by the military is still far away, and Northrop Grumman already in 1986 a patent obtained on an unmanned aircraft with a helium-cooled nuclear reactor on board. Also in the US have been in the fifties, designs for nuclear-powered aircraft.