Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that use some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source. [1] The idea of using nuclear material for propulsion dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 it was hypothesized that radioactive material, radium , might be a suitable fuel for engines to propel cars, planes, and boats. [2] H. G. Wells picked up this idea in his 1914 fiction work The World Set Free . [3] Many aircraft carriers and submarines currently use
Nuclear-powered vessels are mainly military submarines , and aircraft carriers . [1] Russia is the only country that currently has nuclear-powered civilian surface ships, mainly icebreakers . The US Navy currently (as of 2022) has 11 aircraft carriers and 70 submarines in service, that are all powered by nuclear reactors. For more detailed articles see:
Russia's Channel One Television news broadcast a picture and details of a nuclear-powered torpedo called Status-6 on about 12 November 2015. The torpedo was stated as having a range of up to 10,000 km, a cruising speed of 100 knots, and an operational depth of up to 1000 metres below the surface. The torpedo carried a 100-megaton nuclear warhead. [4]