Project Tequila

In 1991, the Aleksanian government took delivery of the last Boeing 747-200F, for use as an engine test bed, a role popular for the 747. This was to be a unique type of engine though, an engine like no other: one powered by the atom. The project originally started in 1985 when Aleksania imported its first nuclear reactor for use in the then being build Keiv Power Station. The project was originally set up to find the validity of using nuclear reactors for long term space missions out of the solar system and the effects a nuclear reactor would have on flight controls and other equipment. In 1987, the prospect of a safe nuclear aircraft (vs. the Tupolev 119) with the use of a

still classified technology to increase the output of the Nuclear Turbofan. In 1995, the government of Aleksania puchased 10 General Electric GE-90 engines, used on the Boeing 777 aircraft, to be modified by AAI and General Electric (because of their experience with indirect cycle engines with the NB-36/X-6 Project) for use on the aircraft. Four General Electric CF6s, used on the 747-400 were also puchesed to be used on the #1 and #4 pilons as backups. After years of planing, research, and development, the last thing left to do was to install the reactor. The aircraft first flew on January 7, 2000, without the reactor (with conventional GE-90), and then a finnal test with the reactor but not powered by it on Febuary 24, 2000. Then, on October 7, 2000, the plane flew for the first time under nuclear power. After several test, the aircraft far surpased the required "safe" levels of radiation for Aleksania, both inside and out, but its preformence was somewhat lacking, and on several occasions the #1 & #4 engines were required to safely land the craft. After several dozen more test flights, the project was going to be scrapped when in 2002 GE and AAI had a breakthrough on the engine design, nearly tripling the engine output. Thus, with restored vigor, the project went ahead at full steam, provoking interest from both the United States and Russian Federation, both of whom had had nuclear aircraft projects in the '50s and '60s, but had abandon them in the end. As the work on the new engines went ahead, the program ran into a major setback when it was found that, even with the increased thrust of the new engines, there was also no runway in Aleksania long enough for the plane to take off, as the engines only could be run at 65% power under 20,000ft because of cooling issues, and thus the jet engines had to also be run to take off, adding weight in fuel. After weeks of of thinking, an young engineer, Hanna Alekseyev, who suggested modifying the aircraft with an 5th engine on the top of the fuselage and incorporating a twin tail design, referencing to the Boeing's proposed 747-300 Trijet. After wind tunnel testing and computer simulations, the design was approved, involving little modification to the existing airframe outside of the tail section. The engine chosen was an Aviadvigatel PS-90A2 (as the engine was already in Aleksanian stock, for use on the Il-96s) Then, in 2003, the plane flew for the first time with the new engines, and achieved a breakthrough, soaring up to nearly 45,000 feet, using only the nuclear engines above 20,000 feet. Then, in January of 2007, it set two new world records, flying for 91 hours and 3 minutes, and also becoming the fastest circumnavigation of the world, with an average speed of 557mph. Later that year, the project was ended successfully, with the final flight being only 30 minutes long, without the reactor on board only under jet power, from the projects home at Lakewood AFB in Lakewood, Aleksania, to the National Aleksanian Air & Space museum at Aleksania City AFB, where the craft still resides today. The cockpit and upper flight deck areas are open to the public, with tours available. These though are the only parts of the aircraft that are open because of safety precautions. The reactor was later recycled, with the partially spent uranium rods being put fittingly into the Keiv Nuclear Power Station. THE END.