Antares Selected for Proposed Deployment of Nuclear Microreactor at Joint Base San Antonio Under Department of the Air Force ANPI Initiative

SAN ANTONIO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Department of the Air Force, in conjunction with the Defense Innovation Unit, has selected Antares for the proposed deployment of a prototype nuclear microreactor at Joint Base San Antonio under the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) initiative.

"We're grateful and proud to partner with Joint Base San Antonio, the Department of the Air Force, and the Defense Innovation Unit," said Jordan Bramble, CEO and founder of Antares. "We built this company to deliver resilient power for missions like this."

The utility infrastructure, land availability, and critical mission requirements at Joint Base San Antonio led to its selection as a potential location to site Antares reactors. Under the initiative, Antares anticipates siting, licensing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning its R1 microreactors, with systems targeted for deployment by 2028 or earlier.

The R1 is a sodium heat pipe-cooled microreactor using robust tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Antares plants serve installations by providing electricity, years of safe operation between refueling, and require no connection to the commercial power grid or specialized infrastructure to deploy.

This effort ensures the execution of critical missions without interruption, thereby strengthening national security.

“Energy resilience is imperative to sustaining operations. If selected as a site under this initiative, Joint Base San Antonio’s resilience would take a tangible step forward to ensure reliable support for its many important missions,” said Brig. Gen. Randy Oakland, JBSA and 502d Air Base Wing commander.

Antares is currently in the final phase of the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program to build a reactor that achieves criticality – a stable, self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction – before July 4, 2026. Fuel fabrication for Antares' initial reactors has been underway at BWX Technologies since October 2025.

Following the Mark-0 demonstration, Antares will use the same test facility and fuel for its Mark-1 electricity-producing reactor in 2027, with initial production deployments for defense and space customers targeted for 2028.

About Antares
Antares is a nuclear fission energy company developing compact microreactors for defense and space applications, delivering safe, reliable power where traditional energy sources cannot. Founded in 2023 and backed by over $140 million in funding, Antares is on track to conduct a reactor demonstration in 2026, to test its first electricity-producing reactor in 2027, with initial production deployments beginning in 2028. Antares operates facilities in Torrance, California; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Aiken, South Carolina.