A Nuclear-Powered Flying Aircraft Carrier? The U.S. Military Designed One
There was no way the Americans were ever going to seriously build this aircraft. But if they had…
Flying aircraft carriers were not just the dreams of the writers of Doctor Who and Marvel’s The Avengers. They were a real concept created by the United States at the height of the Cold War. Back in those heady days, the Americans were always devising radical notions for keeping pace with—and ahead of—their erstwhile Soviet rivals. That’s where Lockheed Martin’s concept for the CL-1201 entered the fray.
With a wingspan of 1,120 feet, the Lockheed CL-1201 would have been the largest aircraft ever designed. Oh, and it would have been nuclear-powered.
The heat generated by the reactor would have been superheated, providing air for thrust, eliminating the need for conventional fuel—which would have been too expensive to power a plane as heavy as the CL-1201 in any case. The nuclear propulsion was meant to keep the aircraft airborne for 41 days at a time, only landing due to the constraints of the crew onboard.
The CL-1201’s Specs
Lockheed’s plans for the bird called for the CL-1201 to have a wingspan of 1,120 feet, a length of 560 feet, and the capability of carrying up to an incredible 6,000 tons. The plane would have accommodated a crew of anywhere between 400 to 845 people. As for the warplanes the CL-1201 would deploy, the combat aircraft would include the F-4 Phantom II, which was the primary multirole fighter for the U.S. military at that time. In total, the CL-1201 would carry between 22 and 24 fighter jets. Some of these warplanes would be docked under the massive wings of the CL-1201. Others would be parked in internal hangars.
The idea behind the CL-1201 was to give the United States military power projection capabilities in regions where naval or land-based air forces would be unable to operate. Back in the Cold War, the Americans were always concerned about the Soviets blocking access to their forces in critical areas. The CL-1201 would have the power to punch through those Soviet blockades in the event of conflict and cause massive amounts of damage in the process.
It was meant to be a mobile command center, too. While it didn’t look remotely like the “Helicarrier” in the 2012 Marvel film The Avengers, it would have had the same impact on the strategic environment.
If the Americans had moved forward with the CL-1201, it would have been an incredible feat of engineering—and a testament to how crazy the Cold War era really was. But there was no way that Washington was ever going to seriously build this aircraft. Because the CL-1201 relied upon a nuclear reactor, there was real concern that, if the plane was ever damaged or if it crashed, it would basically become a miniature nuclear bomb. The cost alone to build the bird would have been extraordinary, let alone the cost of maintaining it over many years.
What’s more, this plane would have required specialized materials to make it aerodynamically feasible. Such materials did not exist in the 1960s, when the CL-1201 was first conceived by Lockheed engineers. That’s to say nothing of the complex operations that would have been required to keep such a leviathan flying for an astonishing 41 days.
A Fantastical Plane from a Bygone Era
The CL-1201 is a staple of Cold War era aviation enthusiasts. It is a reminder of how dangerous the Cold War truly was, and how desperate that great ideological conflict made strategic planners and engineers alike. Such a project would have been daunting even in today’s high-technological era. Back in the 1960s, though, it would have been nearly impossible. Still, it shows how big the Americans back in the day used to dream.
At a time when the U.S. defense industrial base is fundamentally broken and under extreme pressure, it is sad that no U.S. leader could even think of concocting such a plane. When the CL-1201 was conceived, there was a real consideration that the bird might one day be built. Today, if this was ever proposed, it would be laughed out of the room—despite the fact that much of the underlying technology the plane needed to function has since become available.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
