Are nuclear facilities especially vulnerable to catastrophic terrorist attack?

Not really. They’re actually a lot less attractive to terrorists than a great many other things high value industrial targets. Containment domes are remarkably resistant to a plane crash – a jet aircraft would likely just crumple upon impact.

To test this, here is footage of what happens when a fighter jet hits a cement wall at 500 miles per hour.

Even if the containment dome was damaged the reactor is encased within its own protective reactor vessel. All radioactive material exists behind extensive security and does not render itself to easy theft and removal by terrorist attackers. The dry cask storage tanks for waste are proven to be virtually indestructible.

Ironically, the only known terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant was carried out in the 1980’s by anti-nuclear greens in France using a rocket propelled grenade purchased from the infamous terrorist Carlos the Jackal.They failed to do any damage.