Development of the reactor eventually resulted in the testing of a reactor named TORY-IIA in 1961. TORY-IIC, the reactor intended for initial flight tests was tested at full power in 1964, producing 170kN (38,000lbs) of thrust at an estimated speed of Mach 2.8. Operational missiles would have used an improved design called TORY-III. The reactor would have to be a piece of extreme engineering; operating at 1,600 Celsius meant that pneumatic controls would be red hot and exposed to intense radioactivity. Most metals would melt at its operating temperatures so ceramic fuel elements would have to be used. It was calculated that aerodynamic stressed would be 5 times that experienced by the X-15.

The Tory IIC Reactor ready for its succesful test in 1961.

The reactor testing was conducted at a custom built, eight square mile facility costing $1.2 million at Jackass Flats in the Nevada Test Site. 6 miles (10km) of roads had to be built, along with the assembly building, control building, assembly and shop buildings. 25 miles of oil well casing was used to store pressurised air need to create the ramjet conditions for ground testing. The lab borrowed huge compressors from the US Navy's submarine base at Groton, Connecticut to supply the air.

For more on the Project Pluto reactor tests, see "The Flying Crowbar", an article from 'Air & Space' magazine.

The Tory IIA Reactor (Above).

The Jackass Flats test site, showing the lengths of compressed air storage pipes.