Nuclear Weapons and Missiles

Wing Comd (Retd) MUHAMMAD IRSHAD gives a
thorough briefing on the development of
nuclear weapons and missiles

After an insulting defeat in World War I, the Germans were busy in strengthening their military preparations, including the preparation of a super bomb. During those days, the famous German scientist Albert Einstein wrote to American President Roosevelt, expressing his desire to use his German gained scientific knowledge in making a bomb in America. The Americans were more than happy to oblige. So, in 1940, a team of American scientists under guidance of Einstein started work in Chicago University, on a secret project code named Manhattan. By 1942, they had succeeded in harnessing this power in controlled use of this energy, for possible peaceful or otherwise uses.

World War II, forced for searching all avenues to enhance the fighting strength, and this included project Manhattan, to work on military uses of the new found power. On 16th July, 1945, America conducted the world's first atomic explosion at Alamgordo in New Mexico. The reaction of scientists and strategist was mixed with awe and surprise. Whatever value for peacetime purposes the atomic energy might have, it had been developed as a weapon of war, and its first shattering effect had been made in that sphere. What bothered the generals and admirals most was the startling efficiency of this weapon. It was so far ahead of other weapons in destructive power as to threaten to reduce the giants of yesterday to dwarf size. In fact, to speak of it as another weapon was highly misleading. It was a revolutionary development which altered the basic character of the war itself.1 Within a month of this explosion, Americans attacked the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where upon the Japanese surrendered and the World War II ended.

Most of the present day atomic bombs are either made of Uranium or Plutonium. Uranium has two isotopes, U238 which is not fissile and U235 which burns easily in an atomic reaction. But U235 is available in nature only to a limited extent of 0.7% of natural Uranium. Enrichment of this uranium to 90 percent levels will make it fit for use in the manufacture of weapons.

This enrichment can be accomplished through a number of well known processes, and at present there are more than two dozen countries having facility to enrich Uranium. Plutonium is difficult to handle but is more attractive material for bomb making. As compared to highly enriched Uranium, a fission device needs only one fifth of plutonium by weight to make a bomb. Therefore, plutonium is the better material for making smaller and tactical weapons. According to the latest technology, it takes only two kg or less plutonium to make a small bomb. The atomic explosion at Nagasaki was of plutonium, and Americans passed on this technology to India. Therefore Indian atomic work since 1950 is based on plutonium. Thermonuclear or Hydrogen bombs are relatively advanced technologies where temperatures get close to that on the surface of sun. According to a report of Jane's Intelligence Review of January 1998, the Indian plant to get tritium from heavy water was set up in 1992, at the Bhabha Atomic Centre, Bombay. One thermo-nuclear device such as the one that India tested on May 11, needs only four grams of tritium.

It would be very interesting to quote here a story which was published in Readers Digest issue of June 1979. It is the story of an average physics student who in his final year was given a project of making a small atomic bomb out of things available in the open market. The boy did it in three months time with a very small budget. So, a small nuclear bomb is not a problem these days, the real problem is how to contain the making and use of atomic weapons, because a small nation (or even a group) with huge arsenal could threaten a super power also.

In the pre-atomic days of 1940, things had been bad enough, but one did not have to contemplate very seriously the probable annihilation of both victor and vanquished. Now, even the strongest states are faced with the prospect that they might no longer be able, by their own strength, to save their cities from destruction. Not only might their regular rivals on the same level be equipped with power of attack hundreds of times greater than before, but possibly some of the nations lower down in the power scale might get hold of atomic weapons and alter the whole relationship of small and great states. It is becoming very hard to see how a tolerable war could be fought. Unless atomic war could be limited, no single state, no matter how strong its military forces might be, could be at all certain to avoid being mortally wounded in a future war. Inspite of many developments in anti-missile area, there is still no sure proof method of keeping bombs away from nation's territory. A great power (with large territorial depths) might, it is true, by building up to the limit of its strength, have a good chance of winning a war in the end, but what good will that be if in the meantime, the urban population bad been wiped out ?

A young Indian scientist was trying to convince his new prime minister about the effectiveness of nuclear capability, both in peace and war. The prime minister had his dream of making India a super power. His dream was hurt when he could not forcibly occupy full Kashmir from an infant neighbour. So Indians went into immediate measures for strengthening their country. Apart from starting compulsory military training for all Indian youth, the Indians started immediately with their nuclear programme. Homi Bhabha became the first chairman of Indian Atomic Energy commission (IAEC) in 1948. At that time China was absolutely no threat to India. (It was after more than a year when Chairman Mao took China out of darkness and laid foundations for its present strength). Mr. Bhabha was a man with a vision and he immediately set out for acquisition of nuclear technology and facilities from all available sources, and signed agreement of co-operation in this field with many advanced countries. When USA launched Atom for peace programme in 1955, India made full use of it by sending hundreds of its people to USA and other countries. India signed many bilateral agreements with USA, Canada, UK and France and thereby opened many doors for flow of technology. As the diplomacy was working hard, so were the fruits in this field. e.g. Canada gifted India a Plutonium Production reactor called Canada-India reactor (CIR). Only this reactor is capable of producing 13 kg of Plutonium (One or two bombs per year on the basis of 1960 technology, and six bombs per year on the basis of current technology). USA provided heavy water for this reactor. India completed the CIR in 1960. By this time India was a nuclear state capable of testing a bomb. Why was the explosion delayed for another 14 years, was certainly a political issue and not a technicality.

Since then the IAEC has aggressively expanded nuclear operations in India. It presently operates eight nuclear power reactors and is building more. Supporting the reactors are three reprocessing plants, two at Trombay and one at Tarapur, and a fourth under construction at Kalpakkam. The IAEC also operates a fuel fabrication plant and at least five heavy water plants. It is also reportedly experimenting with laser enrichment at its nuclear fuel complex in the central city of Hyderabad. It conducts research in five specially built reactors, and has also built an experimental breeder reactor, the only breeder reactor in the third world. At present there are 45 Indian Research Laboratories and weapons production facilities engaged in the development and manufacture of nuclear warheads and missile delivery systems. (see appendix) All this now makes India the seventh biggest nuclear weapon power, after the five declared nuclear powers (the US, Russia, Britain, France and China) and Israel, which though not a declared nuclear power is known to possess a stockpile of over 20 nuclear weapons, including hydrogen bombs. India has enough plutonium for a stock of more than 100 indigenously produced atomic bombs.

Of the five Indian explosions, the last two were exploded for the purpose to generate additional data for improved computer simulation of designs and for attaining the capability to carryout sub-critical experiments if considered necessary, meaning that these tests were necessary for making battlefield type atomic weapons. In the earlier set of three, one was of a fission device (i.e; an atom bomb-12 kiloton yield), one a low-yield device (i.e; the kind used in nuclear tactical weapons - three kiloton) and one a thermonuclear device (i.e; a hydrogen bomb-43 kiloton). (Just for comparison, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was equivalent to 20 kilotons). When hydrogen bomb based on fusion is tested, it releases energy which reaches higher temperatures and pressures close to the core of the sun. Thus this test in particular signifies India's technological advancement.

India may explode few more bombs, but it plans to vigorously simulate future nuclear tests on a super computer. Such tests are allowed under 1996, CTBT. The computer system now on line at India's SERC, is a 32-bit processor IBM RS/600SP2, an earlier generation of IBM's Deep Blue super computer that defeated Chess Master Garry Kasparov. Despite one IBM official's assertion that the computer pales in comparison to more recent generations of the same model, nuclear experts say that a system that powerful could be used to develop weapon as devastating as long range neutron bomb, and it far exceeds systems American scientists used to develop the US's current nuclear stockpile.

The bombs are a threat but still needs to be carried to the enemy lines. This in the initial days was done with simple guns, then the aircraft which could carry heavier bombs to longer ranges, and now missiles which have great speeds and lengths to do the same. The earliest known missiles were Chinese (approximately 1200 AD), from whom Arab-Muslims mastered the skills. Europeans gained knowledge from Muslim. Germans perfected the knowledge during world war II, and in 1942, their V-2 rocket had a range of 200 miles with altitude capability of 150 miles. This altitude for all practical purposes was the beginning of outer space. When after war, Allied occupied the German land, they also occupied the secrets of V-2, and that is how the present American space shuttles and ballistic missiles programme got its birth.

The Indian Atomic Energy commission was quietly working on missile programmes since almost its inception. Like the nuclear programme, India's missile endeavours were initially undertaken under the guise of peaceful space research and activities. Considerable assistance was extended under UN assistance programmes and bilaterally by Moscow, Washington and other western nations. The peaceful technology transfers and more direct acquisition of technology, for example US Scout and Soviet SAM system, contributed significantly to the Indian missile programme.