DOE and DOD Officials Join USAF C-17 Flight Carrying Ward 250 Components

DOE and DOD officials joined Valar Atomics representatives aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane that on February 15, 2026 transported unfueled components of the Ward 250 microreactor from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The shipment consisted only of hardware components and did not include nuclear fuel.

The flight originated at March Air Reserve Base and terminated at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, moving the Ward 250 package into Air Force custody and the Defense Department's logistics footprint. The aircraft used was a USAF C-17, the type regularly tasked with oversized military and Department of Energy cargo movements.

Valar Atomics personnel were on board with the DOE and DOD officials for the transit, reflecting company involvement in hands-on transfer of its Ward 250 system. The presence of federal officials on the same flight as company representatives meant the handoff took place under combined agency oversight rather than via a separate ground convoy or commercial carrier.

Transporting unfueled components keeps the shipment within non-reactor, non-fissile handling protocols during airlift. Moving the Ward 250 hardware into Hill Air Force Base positions the microreactor components on a military installation with established secure logistics and maintenance facilities, where the Air Force can control subsequent storage and disposition.

The C-17 shipment on February 15 adds a concrete logistics milestone for Valar Atomics' Ward 250 program by relocating core hardware between two major Department of Defense sites. With components now at Hill AFB under DOE and DOD supervision, next steps will follow the Defense Department and Valar Atomics scheduling for processing, integration, or staging consistent with military handling of unfueled nuclear-capable systems.