What Did the Army ML-1 Reactor Teach SMR Developers

Podcast: The Innovation Attorney Podcast · The Innovation Attorney

Opublikowano: 2026-10-19

The Army ML-1 reactor reached 3.2 megawatts thermal in 1963 and delivered only 250 kilowatts electric, which tells microreactor developers to qualify their turbomachinery before they finance a core. The core produced 97 percent of its design heat, and the compressor, running at 77 percent efficiency, held the plant to 62.5 percent of its 400 kilowatt electric target. The Army cancelled the program in 1965 without fielding a unit. On August 26, 2026, the Army named five installations and five vendors for its Janus microreactor program, with about $2.2 billion committed over fiscal years 2027 to 2031 and a requirement that at least one reactor operate by September 30, 2028...