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Antares raises $470M to build nuclear reactors for the US military

Published

27 July 2026

Topic

technology

Sectors

Defense Tech

Geography

United States

Source

Read at techcrunch.com

Verified

Fusion42 · 27 July 2026 · Fusion42 review

Antares Nuclear raised $470M (Series C) to manufacture small modular reactors for US Air Force bases, with its demonstration reactor reaching criticality in June 2026. The company is one of three finalists competing for a Defence Department contract to deploy 100kW–1MW reactors at military installations.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Defense Tech. Wire is Fusion42's founder-focused intelligence feed: each story is connected to the funds and startups it names — every one with a live profile on Raise or Scout — so founders can follow the capital and the momentum behind the headline rather than just the headline itself. Wire analysis is one of the live surfaces Arthur reasons over.

◆ The Wire takeaway

The US military is locking in nuclear power as standard infrastructure for forward bases—and Antares is one of three vendors competing for first-mover advantage. If you supply materials, controls, cooling systems, or grid-integration kit to small reactors, your customer just became the Pentagon.

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Topics

Defense Techsmr-defensenuclear-powermilitary-infrastructureenergy-securitytriso-fuel