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Kimmo Huosionmaa
"White knight" launch vehicle and its modification to the nuclear power aircraft could revolutionize many things in aviation. New forms of nuclear-powered aircraft would be already in production. Those things are unseen, and the technology, what is used is actually basing the RTG (Radio Thermal Generator), what is the so-called nuclear battery, what has given power to the spacecraft like Voyager-probes and other deep space exploration vehicles. Those nuclear-powered drones could be quite similar, with Rutan's "White Knight" launch vehicle, what have been operated with X-37B.
This unmanned space launch system can be easy to modify the nuclear-powered vehicle, by installing the RTG:s and electric motors with propels to that vehicle. Those vehicles could fly extremely high altitude, and they can also carry cruise missiles under their fuselage. Those high flying unmanned platforms can operate even years in the atmosphere, and they can also be armed with nuclear warheads. Those systems can also operate with ASAT (Anti Satellite) missions, and they can carry anti-satellite missiles, and they are very hard to find and destroy.
Those small size motherships can also be used in other kinds of military purposes like shooting normal combat missiles like Harpoons and SLAM (Stand-Off Land Attack Missile) missiles. They are of course very easy to destroy if they can be located first, but the flight altitude of those systems can be over 20 kilometers. The record of electric motor powered aircraft is about 30 kilometers, and it was made by solar-powered Helios aircraft. And there are rumors that also "Predator" drones are transformed to use RTG:s. Those motor systems can be only the RTG:s, where is connected the electric motors and those killer drones operate in the global area and strike without warning. The nuclear-powered aircraft are not addicted to sunlight.
There are study plans for creating the electric engine aircraft what bases the Helios, that uses the capillary tube to rotate the generators, what gives electric power to motors. But the aircraft is still in the drawing stage. The benefit of electric engined aircraft is, that those vehicles leave the very low infrared signature, and they can be produced by using STEALTH-technology, and that's why they are actually quite hard to find.
https://www.space.com/1226-rutan-white-knight-carries-37-space-plane-aloft.html
https://www.space.com/1139-white-knight-prepares-mission.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Prototype
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