Shakti I

Test deviceIndiaThermonuclear (staged)

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent45 kt

Key specs

Country: India
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Test device
Number built: 1

Overview

The device India announced as a two-stage thermonuclear bomb, with a claimed yield of 45 kt, fired on 11 May 1998. Independent seismic estimates of the combined Shakti tests are much lower, and the success of its fusion stage is disputed.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 45 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 280 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.7 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 2.5 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 3.2 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 7.8 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 11, 1998	Shakti I	Pokhran Test Range, Rajasthan, India	45 kt

Sources

Pokhran-II, Wikipedia