Threat to US security? China's nuclear batteries could power mass destruction weapons for 50 years

Nuclear batteries

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A Chinese company has begun mass-producing nuclear batteries capable of lasting for 50 years — a development experts warn could have serious implications for US national security.

The innovation, dubbed the BV100, has been engineered by Chinese tech firm BetaVolt. Despite its minuscule size, the battery is claimed to deliver a consistent energy supply for up to 50 years without the need for recharging or replacement.

The BV100 derives its seemingly endless power from Nickel-63, a radioactive isotope that emits energy through gradual decay. While nuclear batteries have existed since the 1950s—primarily in pacemakers, deep-space missions, and specialized monitoring equipment—this is the first time in history such technology is being mass manufactured.

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Currently, the BV100 generates a modest 100 microwatts—enough to energize low-power devices such as sensors or medical implants. However, BetaVolt has unveiled plans to launch a one-watt version later this year. That upgraded model could power advanced technologies, including war drones and autonomous systems that never require recharging — a potentially game-changing asset in modern warfare.

Though the advancement represents a watershed moment in energy innovation, it also raises significant strategic concerns. With China—one of the United States' fiercest geopolitical rivals—now at the helm of this nuclear battery revolution, the BV100’s potential for militarization cannot be ignored.

Analysts warn that the Chinese military could leverage such batteries to deploy long-range surveillance drones, maintain uninterrupted satellite operations, or even run cyber-warfare systems that function perpetually—all without the logistical constraints of traditional power sources.

Any of these developments would represent a massive escalation in China's military prowess.

Beyond defense, China's lead in nuclear battery tech could give it the edge in the intensifying space race. With the US, China, Russia, and others vying to plant the first lasting lunar base, this energy breakthrough could prove decisive. The US, currently in the lead with NASA targeting a moon landing by 2027, now faces the unsettling possibility of being outpaced.

If China beats the US to lunar dominance, the consequences could extend far beyond national pride. Control of cislunar space—the strategic region between Earth and the moon—has been dubbed “the ultimate high ground” in modern warfare.

Lawmakers across party lines have warned that if China secures cislunar dominance, it could more easily track, jam, or disable US satellites, threatening everything from GPS systems to global communications infrastructure.

More alarmingly, some fear China may even militarize the moon, establishing surveillance outposts or deploying space-based weaponry.

Last April, then-NASA Administrator Bill Nelson cautioned lawmakers, “We believe that a lot of [China’s] so-called civilian space program is a military program.”

This sentiment echoed during the recent Senate confirmation hearing for NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman, who stressed: “We can't be second” in reaching the moon.

While the BV100’s current capabilities fall short of powering a full-scale lunar base, its radioactive source — Nickel-63 — offers unprecedented longevity. It takes 100 years for half the isotope’s atoms to decay, making the battery viable for 50 years before losing effectiveness.

According to BetaVolt, the energy density of nuclear batteries is 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries, though harnessing this radioactive energy safely and effectively remains a formidable engineering challenge.

Ironically, it was the United States that pioneered the first nuclear battery in the 1950s, laying the technological foundation for this moment.