The program is intended to provide secure, resilient power for critical defense missions, with private-sector capital also expected to support development of more than 20 reactors across military installations.
BWXT Advanced Technologies will deploy its BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor, or BANR, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The Army’s other pairings are Antares Nuclear at Fort Bragg, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems at Fort Hood, Radiant Industries at Fort Benning and Westinghouse Government Services at Fort Drum.
BWXT says the first phase will include selecting the reactor site within Fort Campbell, beginning Army-led nuclear regulatory work, starting TRISO fuel fabrication at existing facilities, preparing supply chains and establishing an operating-company structure. The company is targeting groundbreaking in late 2028 and reactor operations in the early 2030s, while the Army is pursuing a separate target of having its first regulated reactor operating on a military installation by September 2028.
The Fort Campbell unit will be a 20-megawatt electric, high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor using TRISO fuel. BWXT describes BANR as a compact design that can operate behind the meter or connect to the grid, provide electricity or combined electricity and process heat, and use a four-year refueling cycle.
The Army’s awards are milestone-based, meaning vendors receive government funding after meeting specified technical goals. The prototype reactors will remain contractor-owned and operated, with the Army overseeing the regulatory process. Army officials said the vendor selection followed evaluations of technical risk, finances, management capabilities, energy needs and site conditions including seismic and hydrological factors.
BWXT enters the project with an established nuclear-defense business that supplies reactors for U.S.
The Janus selection gives BWXT a defined military site and a phased path toward demonstrating BANR, but the company’s own announcement cautions that the project remains subject to technical milestones, future contracts, possible delays and potential modification or termination. The Army said additional military sites may be announced later as the program expands.