Momentum Building for Microreactors as US Military Invest in Nuclear Startup Radiant

Nuclear power startup Radiant Nuclear has secured an agreement to deliver the first mass-manufactured nuclear microreactor to a U.S. Air Force installation by 2028. The deal, made under the Pentagon’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program, marks increasing momentum toward rapidly deployable, mobile power systems for defense applications, natural disasters, off-grid needs, and beyond.

The agreement, signed with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Department of the Air Force, aims to have Radiant deliver the first mass-produced microreactor to a US military base in 2028. The Kaleidos microreactor—a compact, 1 MW unit designed for transportability and rapid activation—will "arrive via truck and within 48 hours plug in, power on, and provide resilient, cyber-secure power to our nation's Air Force for years without refueling," said Radiant CEO Doug Bernauer in a statement.

Back in July, Radiant announced that it was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for testing its Kaleidos design at the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Scheduled to start in spring 2026, the DOME test will mark the first new U.S. reactor design trialed in nearly 50 years.

The portable, zero-emission nuclear microreactors can replace traditional diesel generators in remote or high-stakes applications, with their compact setup engineered for rugged deployment in environments like isolated military bases, disaster zones, and off-grid industrial sites.

The startup has also established strategic partnerships to fortify its supply chain, including an agreement with Amsted Graphite Materials for its TRISO-fueled cores, which are critical for ensuring durability and safety in the microreactor’s operation.

This microreactor development occurs amid rising industry attention to compact, resilient nuclear power. For turbomachinery professionals, the advancement of microreactor technology underscores a systemic shift: the rising value of rapid-response, modular power systems in mission-critical settings. While microreactors don't replace heavy-duty turbines, they complement ongoing trends toward grid resiliency and energy decentralization—especially where scalability, mobility, and low-carbon operation are essential.

Radiant is far from the only company working to develop, test, and deploy commercialized microreactors. In July, Terra Innovatum announced that it had signed an MOU with Rock City Admiral Parkway Development, a six-million square-foot underground industrial park in Illinois, to host the first deployment site for Terra Innovatum's SOLO micro-modular reactor, with an option to eventually deploy up to 50 reactors on-site. Pending regulatory approval, the company intends to have SOLO commercially available by 2028.