![]() Image: Russia Ministry of DefenseĬhina may have stolen a page from Russia’s nuclear-powered torpedo concept by developing its disposable nuclear reactor that could be used to power torpedoes to hit targets across the Pacific. Russia’s nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone. He said that China could use such unmanned weapons to set up ambushes in far-flung waters, hit enemy submarines as they leave port and also track high-value targets. Ma Liang, a researcher at China’s Navy Submarine Academy, notes that AI and machine learning could allow the torpedoes to attack more effectively. These nuclear-powered torpedoes could be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their combat effectiveness. Instead, China’s submarine and ship crews may handle torpedoes with its new mini-reactor like conventional munitions. Guo also claims that the mini-reactor will not leak any radiation, making protective suits unnecessary. The reactor would then detach from the torpedo during the final stages of an attack, with a built-in kill mechanism to stop any remaining nuclear reaction as it falls to the seabed. ![]() The research team estimates that their nuclear reactor can operate for 400 hours, propelling a torpedo at 60 kilometers-per-hour for over 10,000 kilometers – or the distance between Shanghai and San Francisco. The article mentions various cost-saving measures to enable mass production of the mini-reactor, including using commercially-available components, using graphite instead of rare earth metals for reactor materials and simplifying the design as much as possible.Īs a result, the mini-reactor weighs the same as two average Chinese males and can generate 1.4 megawatts of heat with less than 4 kilograms of low-enriched uranium fuel. In the peer-reviewed Journal of Unmanned Sea Systems, lead scientist Guo Jian says that China increasingly needs “small, high-speed, long-range unmanned underwater vehicles that can be used in reconnaissance, tracking, attack and strategic strike.” In contrast, China’s new mini-reactor could be used to power multiple torpedoes in a swarm launched in large numbers from existing torpedo tubes mounted on current warships and submarines. ![]()
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