The Pentagon and the Department of Energy flew an unfueled, 5-megawatt microreactor built by California startup Valar Atomics on a C-17 from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah on Feb. 15, 2026, in what officials described as the first such airlift aimed at speeding deployment of portable nuclear power for military and civilian use.
On Feb. 15, 2026, the Pentagon and the Energy Department carried out what they described as the first airlift of a small nuclear reactor, transporting an unfueled, minivan-sized microreactor built by Valar Atomics from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
Officials said the nearly 700-mile trip took about two hours aboard a C-17 military aircraft and was intended to demonstrate how quickly portable nuclear-generation equipment could be moved for potential military and civilian uses.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Undersecretary of Defense Michael Duffey traveled with the reactor and hailed the flight as a milestone for efforts to accelerate licensing and deployment of microreactors. Before takeoff, Wright called the moment historic, saying, “Today is history. A multi-megawatt, next-generation nuclear power plant is loaded in the C-17 behind us.”
Wright also said the airlifted unit is among at least three reactors expected to reach “criticality” — the point at which a nuclear reaction can sustain itself — by July 4, a timeline he said aligns with a pledge made by President Donald Trump. Wright framed the push as an early step in what he described as a “nuclear renaissance.”
The demonstration comes as the Trump administration promotes nuclear energy as a carbon-free power source amid growing electricity demand tied to artificial intelligence and data centers, while also arguing that mobile reactors could improve resilience for military operations. Duffey said microreactors could eventually provide energy security for bases without relying on the civilian grid, adding that the flight “gets us closer to deploy nuclear power when and where it is needed to give our nation’s warfighters the tools to win in battle.”
In the broader U.S. power mix, the Energy Information Administration reports there are 94 operable nuclear reactors that generate about 19% of U.S. electricity, down from 104 in 2013. The count includes two new large commercial reactors completed in Georgia — the first such large reactors built from scratch in the United States in a generation.
Valar Atomics CEO Isaiah Taylor said the reactor flown to Utah is designed to generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity — enough to power roughly 5,000 homes — and that the company hopes to begin selling power on a test basis next year, with an aim to become fully commercial in 2028.
Critics, however, argued the flight does not resolve key questions about the safety, economics and logistics of deploying microreactors. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, described the transport event as “a dog-and-pony show” that demonstrated the government’s ability to move heavy equipment but did not, in his view, establish that the project is “feasible, economic, workable or safe.”
Lyman also said the administration has not shown how fuel could be transported securely to potential sites such as data centers or military bases. He and other skeptics have pointed to unresolved issues around long-term nuclear waste disposal, although Wright said the Energy Department is in talks with Utah and other states about hosting facilities that could reprocess fuel or provide permanent disposal.
Wright said the reactor will be sent to the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab for testing and evaluation. Taylor said the nuclear fuel will be provided by the Nevada National Security site. Wright summarized the administration’s energy approach by saying, “The answer to energy is always more,” adding that “Now we’re trying to set everything free. And nuclear will be flying soon.”
