China outlines concept for 60‑tonne nuclear‑powered tank with 450 km theoretical range

Chinese researchers have outlined a long-term concept for a 60‑tonne combat vehicle that would use a compact nuclear reactor rated at 10 megawatts and an electromagnetic gun capable of delivering 50 megajoules per shot.

According to the study, an electromagnetic gun at 50 MJ could accelerate a projectile to about 3.5 kilometres per second, which in theory would give the weapon a range of roughly 450 kilometres. The research appears as a paper in the peer‑reviewed journal Acta Armamentarii.

The programme is broken into three development phases. The initial version would rely on a 1,500‑horsepower diesel generator and a 10 MJ railgun, giving a theoretical range of about 150 kilometres. Supercapacitors and a flywheel are proposed to feed high‑power subsystems.

Scaling energy and adding storage

In the second phase the launcher energy would rise to 20 MJ, with a designed range near 300 kilometres. The vehicle would also incorporate an electromagnetic shield rated at 10 MJ and roughly five tonnes of advanced energy‑storage systems. The researchers foresee the use of solid‑state batteries and superconducting storage, managed by an onboard microgrid that controls the vehicle's electrical systems.

Only the final phase — planned for after 2045 — envisages replacing the diesel generator with a compact fission reactor. That reactor would use lead‑bismuth alloy cooling and produce 10 megawatts of thermal power. The concept calls for the whole reactor system to fit inside just two cubic metres, with radiation shielding mass kept to no more than three tonnes. Refuelling would be required at least once every five years.

Authors highlight several major technical hurdles. Heat dissipation is a primary concern: the reactor would generate large quantities of heat that must be removed while the vehicle endures off‑road movement and shock. A railgun also demands bursts of very high power that the reactor cannot supply instantaneously, so energy would have to be stored between shots in capacitors, batteries and other accumulators.

The study notes another trade‑off: installing a reactor and its shielding takes up volume and mass that would otherwise be allocated to armour, ammunition and crew. As a possible alternative to a manned reactor‑equipped tank, the paper proposes an unmanned platform that could use abundant on‑board electricity for lasers, microwave weapons, radar and electronic warfare.

For now the nuclear‑powered tank remains a long‑term research concept rather than an operational programme; the authors present it as a roadmap of technological possibilities and constraints.

Photo: EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES