“Our compact fusion concept combines several alternative magnetic confinement approaches, taking the best parts of each, and offers a 90 percent size reduction over previous concepts,” said Tom McGuire, compact fusion lead for the Skunk Works’ Revolutionary Technology Programs. “The smaller size will allow us to design, build and test the CFR in less than a year.”

?After completing several of these design-build-test cycles, the team anticipates being able to produce a prototype in five years. As they gain confidence and progress technically with each experiment, they will also be searching for partners to help further the technology.

Eoin Treacy's view

Expectations of when we might have the first viable fusion reactor have been in the range of 25 years away for the last 60 years. What is interesting now is the volume of literature and development in the subject is increasing exponentially and expectations of when we might have the first active reactor are shortening to the medium term. Lockheed Martin is not a pop science organisation so when they say they can do it I’m inclined to take them at their word. On a day when the market is weak, a press release such as this is likely to be ignored by the mainstream media but it is important. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/compact-fusion.html In the event that fusion is achieved it would change the global economy beyond recognition over the next 30 years. 

Lockheed Martin has benefitted enormously from demand for drones and is currently unwinding a short-term overbought condition relative to the 200-day MA. A period of consolidation of prior gains is the most likely scenario in the short to medium term.