WS-125

WS-125
A cutaway drawing of the proposed WS-125 testbed aircraft
General information
Project for	Long-range Nuclear-powered aircraft strategic bomber
Issued by	United States Air Force
Requirement	WS-125

The WS-125 was an American super-long-range strategic bomber project during the Cold War to develop a nuclear-powered aircraft.

Development

In 1954, the United States Air Force (USAF) issued a weapons system requirement for a nuclear-powered bomber, designated WS-125. In 1956, General Electric teamed up with Convair (X211 program) and Pratt & Whitney with Lockheed in competitive engine/airframe development to address the requirement.^[1]

In 1956, the USAF decided that the proposed WS-125 bomber was unfeasible as an operational strategic aircraft. Finally, after spending more than $1 billion, the project was cancelled on March 28, 1961.^{[citation needed]}

Powerplants

Two

• List of nuclear-powered aircraft
• Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion – U.S. project 1946–1961
• 9M730 Burevestnik (Russia)
• Project Pluto – US nuclear ramjet project, 1957–1964
• Convair NB-36H – American experimental plane (1955–61)
• Convair X-6 – US proposed nuclear-powered plane (1950s)

Notes

References

• Butler, Tony (2010). American Secret Projects. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing.
  ISBN 978-1-85780-331-0
  .