The nuclear weapons tests of Pakistan refers to a test programme directed towards the development of nuclear explosives and investigation of the effects of nuclear explosions. The programme was suggested by Munir Ahmad Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), as early as 1977.[1]
| Chagai-I | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Test site | Ras Koh, Pakistan |
| Period | 1998 |
| Number of tests | 1 (5 Devices fired) |
| Test type | Underground tests (tunnel) |
| Device type | Fission |
| Max. yield | 32 kilotonnes of TNT (130 TJ) |
The first subcritical testing was carried out in 1983 by PAEC, codenamed Kirana-I, and continued until the 1990s under the government of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto.[1][2] Further claims of conducting subcritical tests at Kahuta were made in 1984 by the Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) but were dismissed by the Government of Pakistan.
The Pakistan Government, under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, authorized the programme jointly under PAEC and KRL, assisted by the Corps of Engineers in 1998. There were six nuclear tests performed under this programme, codenamed Chagai-I, and Chagai-II. After the Prime Minister of India, Atal Vajpayee made a state visit to Pakistan to meet with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, both countries signed a nuclear testing control treaty, the Lahore Declaration in 1999.[3]
Testing series
Chagai-I
The Pakistan's Chagai-I nuclear test series was a single nuclear test conducted in 1998.
| Name [n 1] | Date time (UT) | Local time zone[n 2][4] | Location[n 3] | Elevation + height [n 4] | Delivery, [n 5] Purpose [n 6] | Device[n 7] | Yield[n 8] | Fallout[n 9] | References | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chagai 1 - 1 | 28 May 1998 10:16:15.8 | PKT (+5 hrs) | Ras Koh, Pakistan 28°47′34″N 64°56′44″E / 28.79273°N 64.94565°E | 1,298 m (4,259 ft) + | tunnel, | 32 kt | [5][6][7] | Boosted fission device. Notice debris from light rock band slumped downhill from shaking. No official word on what happened in the test. A. Q. Khan, well connected but considered unreliable, says 1 large and 4 small devices detonated. | ||
| Chagai 1 - 2 | 28 May 1998 10:16:15.8 | PKT (+5 hrs) | Ras Koh, Pakistan 28°47′34″N 64°56′44″E / 28.79273°N 64.94565°E | 1,298 m (4,259 ft) + | tunnel, | 1 kt | [5][6][7] | Boosted fission device. Notice debris from light rock band slumped downhill from shaking. | ||
| Chagai 1 - 3 | 28 May 1998 10:16:15.8 | PKT (+5 hrs) | Ras Koh, Pakistan 28°47′34″N 64°56′44″E / 28.79273°N 64.94565°E | 1,298 m (4,259 ft) + | tunnel, | 1 kt | [5][6][7] | Boosted fission device. | ||
| Chagai 1 - 4 | 28 May 1998 10:16:15.8 | PKT (+5 hrs) | Ras Koh, Pakistan 28°47′34″N 64°56′44″E / 28.79273°N 64.94565°E | 1,298 m (4,259 ft) + | tunnel, | 1 kt | [5][6][7] | Boosted fission device. | ||
| Chagai 1 - 5 | 28 May 1998 10:16:15.8 | PKT (+5 hrs) | Ras Koh, Pakistan 28°47′34″N 64°56′44″E / 28.79273°N 64.94565°E | 1,298 m (4,259 ft) + | tunnel, | 1 kt | [5][6][7] | Boosted fission device. |
Chagai II
| Chagai II | |
|---|---|
 Satellite image of Kharan Desert | |
| Information | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Test site | Kharan Desert, Pakistan |
| Period | 1998 |
| Number of tests | 1 |
| Test type | Underground shaft |
| Device type | Fission |
| Max. yield | 15 kilotonnes of TNT (63 TJ) |
| Test series chronology | |
The Pakistan's Chagai II nuclear test series was a single nuclear test conducted in 1998. These tests followed the Chagai-I series .
The Pakistan test series summary table is below.
The detonations in the Pakistan's Chagai-II series are listed below:
| Name [n 1] | Date time (UT) | Local time zone [n 2][8] | Location [n 3] | Elevation + height [n 4] | Delivery [n 5] | Purpose [n 6] | Device [n 7] | Yield [n 8] | Fallout [n 9] | References | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chagai 2 | 30 May 1998 06:54:57.1 | PKT (+5 hrs) | Kharan Desert, Pakistan 28°21′30″N 63°51′32″E / 28.35828°N 63.85882°E | 580 m (1,900 ft) - 36 m (118 ft) | underground shaft | 15 kt | [5][6][7][9] | Miniaturized boosted fission device. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chagai I | 1998 | 1 | 5 | 1 to 32 | 36 | ||||
| Chagai II | 1998 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 15 | ||||
| Totals | 1998-May-28 to 1998-May-30 | 2 | 6 | 1 to 32 | 51 | Total country yield is 0.0094% of all nuclear testing. |
References
Sources
- Andryushi, LA; Voloshin, N.P.; Ilkaev, R.I.; Matushchenko, A.M.; Ryabev, L.D.; Strukov, V.G.; Chernyshev, A.K.; Yudin, Yu.A., Mikhailov, V.N. (ed.), Catalog of Worldwide Nuclear Testing, archived from the original on 2013-12-19, retrieved 2013-03-04
- Wm Robert Johnston, PhD, Johnston Archive of Nuclear Weapons, retrieved 2013-12-31