List of nuclear weapons tests of India

Last updated

India's nuclear test series consists of a pair of series: Pokhran I and Pokhran II . Pokhran I was a single nuclear test conducted in 1974.

Contents

List of nuclear weapons tests of India
Information
Country India
Test site Pokhran Test Range, Rajasthan
PeriodMay 1974 – May 1998
Number of tests3 (6 Devices fired)
Test type Underground tests (underground, underground shaft)
Device type Fission and Fusion
Max. yield45 kt;
Scale down of 200 kt model

Test Series

Pokhran I

Pokhran I
Information
CountryIndia
Test sitePokhran, Rajasthan, India
Period1974
Number of tests1
Test type Underground shaft
Device type Fission
Max. yield12 kilotonnes of TNT (50 TJ)
Test series chronology
Pokhran II  →
Map this section's coordinates using: OpenStreetMap  
Download coordinates as: KML

The India test series summary table is below.

The detonations in the India's Pokhran I series are listed below:

India's Pokhran I series tests and detonations
Name [n 1] Date time (UT) Local time zone [n 2] [1] Location [n 3] Elevation + height [n 4] Delivery, [n 5]
Purpose [n 6] 		Device [n 7] Yield [n 8] Fallout [n 9] References Notes
Smiling Buddha 18 May 1974 02:34:55.0 IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India 27°05′40″N71°45′13″E / 27.09451°N 71.75365°E / 27.09451; 71.75365 (Smiling Buddha) 235 m (771 ft) – 107 m (351 ft)underground shaft, 12 kt [2] [3] [4] [5] Indira Gandhi declared Smiling Buddha to be a peaceful test.

Pokhran II

Pokhran II
Information
CountryIndia
Test sitePokhran, India
Period1998
Number of tests3 (5 Devices fired)
Test type Underground tests (underground, underground shaft)
Device type Fission and Fusion
Max. yield45 kilotonnes of TNT (190 TJ);
Scale down of 200 kt model
Test series chronology
←  Pokhran I
Map this section's coordinates using: OpenStreetMap  
Download coordinates as: KML

Pokhran II was a group of 2 nuclear tests conducted in 1998.

India's Pokhran II series tests and detonations
Name [n 10] Date time (UT) Local time zone [n 11] [1] Location [n 12] Elevation + height [n 13] Delivery, [n 14]
Purpose [n 15] 		Device [n 16] Yield [n 17] Fallout [n 18] References Notes
Shakti 1 - 111 May 1998 10:13:41.8 IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India: White House 27°04′44″N71°43′20″E / 27.07883°N 71.72231°E / 27.07883; 71.72231 (Shakti 1 - 1) 226 m (741 ft) – 200 m (660 ft)underground shaft, 45 kt [2] [3] [4] [5] Two stage thermonuclear device with fusion boosted primary, intended for missile warhead; test design yield 45 kt, with a 200 kt deployed yield.
Shakti 1 - 211 May 1998 10:13:41.8 IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India: Taj Mahal 27°04′44″N71°43′20″E / 27.07883°N 71.72231°E / 27.07883; 71.72231 (Shakti 1 - 2) 226 m (741 ft) – 150 m (490 ft)underground shaft, 12 kt [2] [3] [4] [5] Lightweight pure fission tactical bomb/missile warhead, 12 kt design yield; exact locations of sites is unknown.
Shakti 1 - 311 May 1998 10:13:41.8 IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India: Kumbhkaran 27°04′44″N71°43′20″E / 27.07883°N 71.72231°E / 27.07883; 71.72231 (Shakti 1 - 3) 226 m (741 ft) + underground, 200 t [2] [3] [4] [5] Fission experimental device, reportedly made with reactor-grade plutonium. Probably a fusion boosted design without the fusion fuel, 0.3 kt design yield; exact locations of sites is unknown.
Shakti 2 - 113 May 1998 06:51:?? IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India: Navtala 1 27°04′24″N71°42′49″E / 27.07347°N 71.71353°E / 27.07347; 71.71353 (Shakti 2 - 1) 226 m (741 ft) – 20 m (66 ft)underground, 500 t [2] [3] [4] [5] A 0.5 kt experimental device; exact locations of sites is unknown.
Shakti 2 - 213 May 1998 06:51:?? IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India: Navtala 2 27°04′24″N71°42′49″E / 27.07347°N 71.71353°E / 27.07347; 71.71353 (Shakti 2 - 2) 226 m (741 ft) + underground, 300 t [2] [3] [4] [5] A 0.2 kt experimental device that used uranium-233; exact locations of sites is unknown.
Shakti 2 - 3
(canceled)		13 May 1998 06:51:?? IST
(+5.5 hrs)		Pokhran, India: Navtala 3 27°04′24″N71°42′49″E / 27.0734°N 71.7135°E / 27.0734; 71.7135 (Shakti 2 - 3) 226 m (741 ft) + underground, unknown yield [2] [3] [4] [5] Not fired; another low yield experimental device Exact locations of sites is unknown.
  1. ↑ The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions – Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1 – 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
  2. ↑ To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day. Historical time zone data obtained from the IANA time zone database.
  3. ↑ Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
  4. ↑ Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
  5. ↑ Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
  6. ↑ Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
  7. ↑ Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
  8. ↑ Estimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie).
  9. ↑ Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.
  10. ↑ The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions – Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1 – 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
  11. ↑ To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day.
  12. ↑ Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
  13. ↑ Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
  14. ↑ Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
  15. ↑ Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
  16. ↑ Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
  17. ↑ Estimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie).
  18. ↑ Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.

Summary

India's nuclear testing series summary
Series or years Years covered Tests [Summ 1] Devices fired Devices with unknown yield Peaceful use tests Non-PTBT tests [Summ 2] Yield range (kilotons) [Summ 3] Total yield (kilotons) [Summ 4] Notes
Pokhran I1974 11112 12
Pokhran–II1998 35small to 45 58
Totals1974-May-18 to 1998-May-13 4 6 1 0 to 45 70 Total country yield is 0.013% of all nuclear testing.
  1. ↑ Includes all tests with potential for nuclear fission or fusion explosion, including combat use, singleton tests, salvo tests, zero yield fails, safety experiments, and bombs incapacitated by accidents but still intended to be fired. It does not include hydronuclear and subcritical tests,, and misfires of a device which was subsequently fired successfully.
  2. ↑ Number of tests which would have been in violation of the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963, such as atmospheric, space or underwater tests. Some "peaceful use" cratering tests which should have been violations were protested, and later quietly dropped.
  3. ↑ "Small" refers to a value greater than zero but less than 0.5 kt.
  4. ↑ Some yields are described like "< 20 kt"; such are scored at one half of the numeric amount, i.e., yield of 10k in this example. "Unknown yield" adds nothing to the total.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Tinderbox</span> Series of 1970s and 1980s US nuclear tests

Operation Tinderbox was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1979–1980 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Quicksilver series and preceded the Operation Guardian series.

The United States's Niblick nuclear test series was a group of 41 nuclear tests conducted in 1963–1964. These tests followed the Operation Roller Coaster series and preceded the Operation Whetstone series.

Operation Latchkey was a series of 38 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1966–1967 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Flintlock series and preceded the Operation Crosstie series.

Operation Quicksilver was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1978–1979 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Cresset series and preceded the Operation Tinderbox series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Sunbeam</span> Series of 1960s US nuclear tests

Operation Sunbeam was a series of four nuclear tests conducted at the United States's Nevada Test Site in 1962. Operation Sunbeam tested tactical nuclear warheads; the most notable was the Davy Crockett.

The United States's Praetorian nuclear test series was a group of 19 nuclear tests conducted in 1981–1982. These tests followed the Operation Guardian series and preceded the Operation Phalanx series.

Operation Fusileer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1983–1984 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Phalanx series and preceded the Operation Grenadier series.

Operation Grenadier was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1984–1985 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Fusileer series and preceded the Operation Charioteer series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Charioteer</span> Series of 1980s US nuclear tests

Operation Charioteer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1985–1986 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Grenadier series and preceded the Operation Musketeer series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Touchstone</span> Series of 1980s US nuclear tests

The United States's Touchstone nuclear test series was a group of 13 nuclear tests conducted in 1987–1988. These tests followed the Operation Musketeer series and preceded the Operation Cornerstone series.

Operation Roller Coaster was a series of four nuclear tests conducted jointly by the United States and the United Kingdom in 1963, at the Nevada Test Site. The tests did not involve the detonation of any nuclear weapons. Instead, their purpose was to evaluate the distribution of radioactive particles in a "dirty bomb" scenario, or an inadvertent, non-nuclear detonation of a nuclear weapon, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of storage structures in containing the explosion and the particles released. The tests followed the Operation Storax series and preceded the Operation Niblick series.

The Soviet Union's 1954 nuclear test series was a group of 10 nuclear tests conducted in 1954. These tests followed the 1953 Soviet nuclear tests series and preceded the 1955 Soviet nuclear tests series.

The Soviet Union's 1953 nuclear test series was a group of 5 nuclear tests conducted in 1953. These tests followed the 1949-51 Soviet nuclear tests series and preceded the 1954 Soviet nuclear tests series.

France carried out a series of 24 nuclear tests from 1971–1974 These tests followed the 1966–1970 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1975–1978 French nuclear tests.

The France's 1979–1980 nuclear test series was a group of 22 nuclear tests conducted in 1979–1980. These tests followed the 1975–1978 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1981–1982 French nuclear tests series.

The France's 1981–1982 nuclear test series was a group of 22 nuclear tests conducted in 1981–1982. These tests followed the 1979–1980 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1983–1985 French nuclear tests series.

The France's 1983–1985 nuclear test series was a group of 25 nuclear tests conducted in 1983–1985. These tests followed the 1981–1982 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1986–1988 French nuclear tests series.

The 1986–1988 French nuclear tests were a group of 24 nuclear tests conducted between 1986 and 1988. These tests followed the 1983–1985 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1989–1991 French nuclear tests series.

The France's 1989–1991 nuclear test series was a group of 21 nuclear tests conducted in 1989–1991. These tests followed the 1986–1988 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1995–1996 French nuclear tests series.

References

  1. 1 2 "Time Zone Historical Database". iana.com. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sublette, Carey. "Nuclear Weapon Archives" . Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sublette, Carey. "Nuclear Weapon Archives" . Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Norris, Robert S.; Burrows, Andrew S.; Fieldhouse, Richard W. (1994). Nuclear Weapons Databook, Vol. 5: British, French, and Chinese Nuclear Weapons. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Yang, Xiaoping; North, Robert; Romney, Carl (August 2000). CMR Nuclear Explosion Database (Revision 3) (Technical report). SMDC Monitoring Research.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.