Inside Operation Pluto: The Nuclear-Powered Missile Project
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Operation Pluto was a secret Cold War project initiated by the United States in the 1960s to develop a nuclear-powered cruise missile called SLAM (Supersonic Low Altitude Missile). This ambitious weapon was intended to fly at low altitudes below enemy radar, carrying multiple nuclear warheads across continents.
The heart of SLAM was its revolutionary nuclear ramjet engine, dubbed “Tory.” Unlike conventional jet engines, Tory used a compact nuclear reactor to superheat air for propulsion, enabling the missile to fly for thousands of miles at supersonic speeds. In 1964, engineers successfully tested the Tory-IIc reactor in Nevada, demonstrating it could push air at high velocity without burning fuel.
Operation Pluto mattered because it represented a major leap in missile technology and nuclear engineering. However, the project was ultimately canceled due to concerns over safety, environmental risks, and advances in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which made SLAM obsolete.
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