Time to conduct megaton weapon test

[The Ultranationalist]

So the second point of this thread has materialised already, now its time for the first.

https://defenceforumindia.com/forum...ian-nuclear-arsenal-present-and-future.35184/

Now i have started to believe that i am a visionary of sorts. Even Modi has said that our nukes are not for Diwali so we better test them again and for bigger yeilds. I would recommend 10 mt. We cannot afford to get complacent as whatever happend after pulwama was the result of that. Our own SAM shot down our heli and our air force flying and fighting with a 1960 era warplane. We should always be in war mode and expect an attack, we shpuld keep our powder dry, always.

 

[garg_bharat]

No test is likely. I doubt India has megaton devices. The largest device is rumored to be 200KT.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

So the second point of this thread has materialised already, now its time for the first.

https://defenceforumindia.com/forum...ian-nuclear-arsenal-present-and-future.35184/

Now i have started to believe that i am a visionary of sorts. Even Modi has said that our nukes are not for Diwali so we better test them again and for bigger yeilds. I would recommend 10 mt. We cannot afford to get complacent as whatever happend after pulwama was the result of that. Our own SAM shot down our heli and our air force flying and fighting with a 1960 era warplane. We should always be in war mode and expect an attack, we shpuld keep our powder dry, always.

No test is likely. I doubt India has megaton devices. The largest device is rumored to be 200KT.

Making Megaton devices isn't technological challenge for countries who have conducted initial fission boosted fusions and later all kind of reactors. But it isn't needed and tool only power projection.

MT range H-bombs confine their damage to limited areas. So, a 200-300KT bomb is as strong as an 1 MT H-bomb when comes to damage.

 

[happylion]

No one will like to continue megaton devices. The area of destruction covered by a MIRVED submegation devices is larger. That is why people have moved away from the Tsar Bomba type of devices or else they would have continued with those.

 

[no smoking]

Making Megaton devices isn't technological challenge for countries who have conducted initial fission boosted fusions and later all kind of reactors.

No, Comparing to fission boosted fusion device, hydrogen bomb is completely different technical route. It is a dead end if you want to build a megaton device based on fission boosted fusion bomb.

 

[happylion]

The Teller Ullam design with data India has. The megaron design was not used because it cannot be tested in Pokhran and also in todays world the need for megaton devices is questionable

 

[HariPrasad-1]

No test is likely. I doubt India has megaton devices. The largest device is rumored to be 200KT.

I think nobody gave enough intention to modi's remark that now India has a Mother of all nuclear bomb. Looking to the progress we have made in last two decades in the area of science and technology, It will be very surprising if we would not have a Mega ton bomb.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

No, Comparing to fission boosted fusion device, hydrogen bomb is completely different technical route. It is a dead end if you want to build a megaton device based on fission boosted fusion bomb.

If you've conducted a sort of fission boosted fusion, model can be easily rectified to make complete H-bomb.

H-bomb isn't a "highly different route". Even its trigger is basically a fission bomb.

 

[garg_bharat]

I think nobody gave enough intention to modi's remark that now India has a Mother of all nuclear bomb. Looking to the progress we have made in last two decades in the area of science and technology, It will be very surprising if we would not have a Mega ton bomb.

Theoretically yes. Practically no.
I believe Modi's remark "mother of nuclear bomb" refers to thermonuclear device.
Though I may be wrong. May be your information is correct.

 

[garg_bharat]

Progress is needed not only in bomb BUT also how bomb is delivered. I would say that delivery is more important than the bomb itself. Most of the expense is on delivery systems. The differentiator will be progress made in this area.

 

[Kay]

We do not need to test any nukes. Shakti - I was a partial success. The boosted fission primary worked as expected. The secondary had fizzled, but still the overall detonation was in 35 -45 KT range by most estimates. The fizzle seems to be a result of attempting to reduce the bang in the secondary stage, which can be 180-200 KT ranfr for the actual warhead.
But since then, we have computer simulations to make reliable predictions on our yields. We are also partners in ITER and have access to ICF facilities.
We have enough reason to have faith in our weapons. Even at worst case 35-45 KT is a lot of bang.
We just need to build MIRVed missiles to complete deterrence.
Our enemies will have only one way and chance to find out if our weapons work or not.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

Theoretically yes. Practically no.
I believe Modi's remark "mother of nuclear bomb" refers to thermonuclear device.
Though I may be wrong. May be your information is correct.

We have thermonuclear bomb since 1998 so there is no point that Modi very funny today I think what is referring is a recent development which has not yet been published officially.

 

[garg_bharat]

We have thermonuclear bomb since 1998 so there is no point that Modi very funny today I think what is referring is a recent development which has not yet been published officially.

India has NEVER said officially that it has a TN bomb. Having it since 1998 is moot.
In fact doubts have been raised periodically by both Indian and Western press about India's force level as well as "resolve".

Some have even questioned if India will respond at all to a Pakistani nuke attack,

This is the first time an Indian PM has said that India will use its nukes. Before this nukes were ONLY for "deterrence".

Mr Modi has said it clearly that India will use its nukes if attacked with nukes. This is a big statement as no PM has said such a thing before.

 

[garg_bharat]

Please note that nuclear threat has been used by Pakistan regularly against India. And India has been silent.

There is a huge difference in a statement by a country's Prime Minister and some think tank or some expert.

Only statement from PM will be taken seriously by enemy.

 

[Kay]

Please note that nuclear threat has been used by Pakistan regularly against India. And India has been silent.

There is a huge difference in a statement by a country's Prime Minister and some think tank or some expert.

Only statement from PM will be taken seriously by enemy.

To be fair India's resolve gets questioned not because of our statements, but because of common sense. Our nuclear policy is flawed.
Our policy of no first use is counterproductive to deterrence. This means we will only use our nukes after we have been nuked ourselves. This gives us a free pass to our enemies to conduct operations against us below nuclear threshold since they have control over the nuclear option.
Our policy of maximum retaliation against even battlefield nukes which is a bluff waiting to be called.

GOI should declare that India has a no-first use policy for non-nuclear nations and strategic allies and countries which have no-first use policies.
Also, we should operationalize battlefield nukes and declare that we have them and will be used in retaliation.
We should have a nuclear escalation playbook until MAD.

 

[garg_bharat]

Kay, issue is not no first use policy. BUT no use policy.

Many "experts" came to believe that India will not use its nukes at all (Gandhian thinking).

So a statement by Indian PM throws such miscalculations in the dustbin. It was very important statement as such indications were coming from our dear neighbour that it may take a "risk" knowing that a response will not come at all.

 

[garg_bharat]

Using a nuke is a very difficult decision. It will definitely have severe side effects for quite some time.

We unfortunately have an irrational neighbor who is hell bent on killing as many Indians as possible. Its only policy is to kill Indians.

It is impossible to deal with such a neighbor rationally. It is like somebody comes to kill you; and you think you will ward him off by hospitality. He will probably eat your food and then kill you anyway. Each jihadi gets good money for killing one Indian; a significant amount for a poor jihadi. I believe similar rewards are available to Paki army men too.

In this situation we cannot hide in Gandhian thinking. The only option is credible threat.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

India has NEVER said officially that it has a TN bomb

It was very much declared officially that one of the test India conducted was a MT Hydrogen bomb.

 

[Armand2REP]

If you launch a megaton weapon you better hope the jet stream isn't blowing it back at you.

 

[Chinmoy]

If you've conducted a sort of fission boosted fusion, model can be easily rectified to make complete H-bomb.

H-bomb isn't a "highly different route". Even its trigger is basically a fission bomb.

I would like to differ a bit on this. Actually its bit different then a boosted fission mode.

Although the trigger is a fission mechanism, but triggering the trigger itself would need lot of simulations and tests. I am not sure how much we have done in this regard. But yeah, the next best thing of ours is working fine.