Chagai-II

Test devicePakistanImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent4–20 kt

Key specs

Country: Pakistan
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Test device
Number built: 1

Overview

Pakistan’s second public nuclear test, a single fission device fired in the Kharan Desert on 30 May 1998. Pakistan claimed 12–20 kt; independent seismic estimates are about 4–6 kt.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 20 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 200 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.5 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 1.9 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 2.3 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 6 km

Estimated ground ranges for an air burst at the optimum height over flat, open ground, computed from the yield with standard scaling laws. These are not measurements: real effects depend on the height of burst, terrain, buildings and weather.

Formulas from: Glasstone & Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977), chapter II; Carey Sublette, Nuclear Weapons FAQ, section 5

Tests and use

Date	Event	Site	Yield
May 30, 1998	Chagai-II	Kharan Desert, Pakistan	20 kt

Sources

Chagai-II, Wikipedia