National Technology Day

India becomes a nuclear-weapon state: The story of Operation Shakti 1998

The true strength of a country lies in its defence capability- its strategic and military power to protect the nation and its citizens. While developed countries advance in their strategic capabilities, it puts pressure upon the developing countries to take measures to strengthen their national integrity.

There was quite a buzz after the release of the film Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran. This was a feature film based on the testing of India’s very first nuclear weapons. Dr. Anil Kakodkar, an eminent Nuclear Scientist and Engineer, was the man behind the Pokhran nuclear tests. Former Director of BARC and the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, he has been among the pioneers who contributed to the success of the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions in 1998 and is a key negotiator for the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation.

In the 1980s, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)  was underway. This was a multilateral alliance that prevented countries from carrying out nuclear explosions, both for civilian and military reasons. This gave a natural edge to the countries that had already declared themselves as nuclear-weapon states. Simultaneous efforts were going on to build India’s nuclear capability. The number of signatories of the treaty was increasing, and this put pressure on India to test its nuclear capability. Moreover, the border security situation of Chinese aspirations equipping Pakistan with nuclear weapon capability was a serious concern. Under these circumstances, carrying out the nuclear explosions had become inevitable.

The work was a joint effort of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Dr. Kakodkar was responsible for the engineering aspects and the project's overall success. The test matrix (nuclear weapons to be tested) comprised a 15-kiloton nuclear fission package and a 45-kiloton thermonuclear package. 2 underground shafts were dug to test these weapons. The calculations were done, and the two devices were engineered such that the total yield after the explosion would not be more than 60 kilotons. This was done to avoid damage to the village Khitolai, which was just 15 kilometers away from the site. The DRDO officials were of the opinion that at a given time only 1 weapon should be tested, whereas Dr Kakodkar and his team from BARC insisted upon having both the weapons tested together, as they might not get another chance. Being the team leader, Dr Kakodkar had to give it in writing that there would be no damage to the village and that he took complete responsibility for the explosion.

There were several teams involved- the Physics team led by S.K. Sikka, the Fabrications team led by M.S. Ramakumar, and D.D. Sood, Electronics and instrumentation team led by G. Govindrajan and Vilas Kularni coordinated the project. All the scientists involved went through extreme conditions during the preparations for the tests. The barren land of Pokhran and the heat wave added to the already complicated experimental setup. All of them wore army uniforms and travelled in military jeeps to maintain the secrecy of the project. The tests were successfully carried out on 11 May 1998. Post-test analyses, such as seismic and radiochemical measurements, were conducted to confirm the tests' yield. A 3D simulation was also developed and validated by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre team based on the ground surface at the time of the nuclear test.

The success of these explosions drew a keen interest from the West in India's nuclear program. Thus, what followed was the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation. However, this wasn't as straightforward as it sounds. Immense amounts of negotiations, tensions, and geopolitical issues were at the forefront. Scientists and politicians within India were divided into those in favour of and those against the cooperation. Attaining India's strategic autonomy without compromising its nuclear secrecy and freedom was a challenging task. The Bush administration was looking at India as a potential market for their nuclear exports and an ally to suppress the upcoming nuclear program at middle east. Dr Kakodkar and his team played a major role in negotiating with the US administration and protecting India's nuclear rights while ensuring free trade between the two nations. So much so that when the treaty was finally being signed between India and the US by the respective prime ministers Dr Manmohan Singh and George Bush, that's when the latter sarcastically asked Dr Kakodkar, "Oh, so you are that Kakodkar? Are you happy now?"

The Pokhran Nuclear Explosions that happened on 11 May 1998 were a huge milestone in the journey of a self-reliant India. They were a basis for equipping our armed forces with a wide range of low and high-yield nuclear weapons. Great scientific minds and faith in our own technological capabilities paved the way for our country to be a nuclear-weapon state in the international arena. 

©Neha Kanase