Shakti III

Test deviceIndiaImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent300 t

Key specs

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

Overview

An experimental low-yield fission device of about 0.3 kt, one of three fired simultaneously at Pokhran on 11 May 1998 in Operation Shakti; India said the tests gathered data for computer simulations.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 300 t

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 38 m
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 410 m
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 480 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 670 m
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 1.5 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 III	Pokhran Test Range, Rajasthan, India	300 t

Sources

Pokhran-II, Wikipedia