Having Nuclear Power did not mean there was no longer any need for an engine. It simply meant that the rear Turbofan Engine would be redesigned. The power-generating combustion would no longer come from fuel, but from a Nuclear Reactor.
Naturally, this reactor was still a Fission Reactor.
"What advantages does it have? If it were refueled once, approximately how long could it fly?" Jiang Yan Hai asked the key question.
Everyone knew that Nuclear Power used very little fuel, but this nuclear-powered system itself was an extremely compact reactor. That meant its crucial core could not possibly hold much nuclear fuel.
"With one refueling, its flight range is approximately one hundred thousand kilometers." Professor Hu gave a specific figure.
Jiang Yan Hai drew a deep breath. One hundred thousand kilometers—this number was terrifying. Even a trip around Earth along the equator was only a little over forty thousand kilometers. That meant it could circle the globe more than twice.
This was no longer a matter of combat radius. It meant that while flying, it could go for a long time without needing a fuel replacement. As long as the service life of its rear Turbofan Engine held up, it could even remain in the sky indefinitely.
"Can it reach space?" Jiang Yan Hai reassessed its data in his mind. Whether it could reach space mainly depended on how efficiently it utilized air. If that efficiency was high enough, then although the air would become extremely thin after the aircraft left the ground and reached a certain altitude, as long as its power was strong enough, flying out should not be too difficult.
"At present, it would be difficult, but that is our goal. Based on our current data, although it cannot fly into space, its maximum flight altitude can