Smiling Buddha

Pokhran-I

Test deviceIndiaImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent8–10 kt

Key specs

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

Overview

India’s first nuclear test, a plutonium implosion device of about 8–10 kt fired underground at Pokhran in May 1974 and officially called a “peaceful nuclear explosion”. It made India the first country outside the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to test.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 10 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 150 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.3 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 1.5 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 1.7 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 4.7 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 18, 1974	Smiling Buddha	Pokhran Test Range, Rajasthan, India	10 kt

Sources

Smiling Buddha, Wikipedia