Pakistan doubling nuclear-bomb capacity: Reports

notinlove

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As the Obama Administration concluded its two-day strategic dialogue with Pakistan, a report prepared by the Washington based Institute for Science and international security says Islamabad may be operating a second nuclear reactor under the country's nuclear weapons programme.

The report cites GoogleEarth satellite images showing steam distorting the view of some cooling tower fan blades at the second plutonium production reactor at Khushab, which indicates that the reactor is in some state of initial operation such as a power start-up.

Only a few nations in the world have nuclear production capability, the start-up operation of the second Khushab reactor, leading to a possible doubling of plutonium output in Pakistan, is significant.

The report also said that Pakistan had started constructing the Khushab-II reactor back in 2002 and in 2007 construction activity for a third reactor was noticed in satellite images.

"For many years all Pakistan had was its uranium enrichment programme. Sometime in 2002, Pakistan began building a second reactor and then again sometime around 2006-07, Pakistan began building a third reactor at Khushabh. So what we are seeing here is a really massive expansion of Pakistan's plutonium production programme. And the issue here is that Pakistan does not really need a new reactor as it has a unranium enrichment programme and a plutonium production programme," said Paul Brannan, Senior Analyst, ISIS, Washington, DC.



http://www.ndtv.com/news/world/pakistan-operating-second-nuclear-reactor-18421.php




Lets hear it , whaddaya guys have to say about this.
 

Yusuf

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Nothing new about it. Sometime back Hans Christensen and his mate had come up with a report saying pakistan had already doubled its warheads to maybe more than what india has. It is common knowledge that pakistan is ramping up its nuke program and wants to move to plutonium based design which it has already obtained from the usual provider.

Reading David Albrights reports on these will also help.
 
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Even more reason for Pak to get a nuclear deal from USA, the more Pak acts up the more reward USA will give it, still waiting for the Indian ICBM test.
 

Yusuf

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Didn't understand the context. What's the indian ICBM test to do with pakistan Nukes?
 
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Didn't understand the context. What's the indian ICBM test to do with pakistan Nukes?
If pak is unrestrained in their weapons program why are we restrained??The Bush nuclear deal has restrained us and Pak has a free ride from China and USA to do as they please. We restrained ourselves and Obama is not even happy to honor the terms of the Bush nuclear deal.
 
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Yusuf

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India is not restraint in any regard. We would not have tested Nukes if we had been restricted.

An ICBM requirement is need based. We will be testing a sub ICBM which I am sure is more than the 5k kms advertised for obvious reasons.
 
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Yusuf I thought about MMS's request to Bush to be in the UN security council, if Bush had accepted we would have been the only country in the council without a working ICBM.
 

Rage

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This comes in the backdrop of reports that Yousaf Gilani and a team of military officers attended a ceremony at the 50 MW Khushab reactor complex for what is believed to be the completion of the second reactor in February, 2010.

If Khushab-II is similar in capacity to Khushab-I (which it would appear to be because of similar cooling towers) then, the two reactors, operating at a liberal 70 percent capacity, could estimably produce about 22 kg. of weapons-grade plutonium every year, allowing Pakistan to augment its nuclear-fuel capacity by nearly doubling the rate of plutonium production.

There is still a third reactor under construction though, expected to go online by 2013, similar apparently in size to the first and second.

Here is satellite imagery, dated nevertheless, on the third plutonium production reactor at the Khushab nuclear plant:

http://www.isis-online.org/publications/southasia/ThirdKhushabReactor.pdf
 

Iamanidiot

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question from where are they getting all the uranium for the new plants.Its not China they don't want to create another NokO
 
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I do not know how advanced Pak heavy water program is?? The Indian fast breeders when up and running should be pumping out enough plutonium for a couple of hundred warheads a year if needed.
 
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question from where are they getting all the uranium for the new plants.Its not China they don't want to create another NokO
China is probably supplying it from the backdoor from uranium they get from australia?? And USA is financing with aid money.
 

Iamanidiot

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LF the chinese have to answer to the NPT and IAEA regarding that Uranium
 

Yusuf

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I met a gentleman from ISRO recently. He completely discounted the possibility of converting the PSLV into an ICBM. There is no collaboration or sharing of tech or components between ISRO and DRDO.
 

Yusuf

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LF the chinese have to answer to the NPT and IAEA regarding that Uranium
Nice joke. Even the US laughed it away while the chinese sent everything including working bombs to pakistan. NPT. Bloody waste of a treaty.
 

nrj

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^^^^^ Must say UN is sitting duck, an organization with no action ever.....
Bush administration had clear idea about the situation of Pak & the position of India, it had a strong foreign policy. It acted like a somewhat responsible global power in terms of foreign engagements. Obama is only going to worsen the headache India is having with its neighbors....

If Obama administration doesn't stop its aid to Pak & shows reluctance in controlling Pak's activity (visioned by PRC) it'll be severe mess no one can imagine; leaving India feeling the entire heat of it.....

Stupid US President is going to get us nuked down along with Pak (PRC doesn't care Pak remains or not as long as we are doooomed !),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 
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we need to test a nuke and kill the whole Bush nuclear deal in a positive way, it will not impact us as much as it seems since we have individual deals with NSG,Russia and France.
 

ahmedsid

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I met a gentleman from ISRO recently. He completely discounted the possibility of converting the PSLV into an ICBM. There is no collaboration or sharing of tech or components between ISRO and DRDO.
Yusuf, will that be the case even if the Govt Orders ISRO to share the tech and make the working of an ICBM possible? I mean in a very dire situation, under Govt Order, Will ISRO Say, Nope can do! I have read in a book long ago that the PSLV can be turned into an ICBM in less than 24 hours or something with some quick thinking. Do correct me folks! God Speed
 

Yusuf

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24 hours is a good joke to convert a launch vehicle to ICBM. There are quite a few differences. Theoretically yes if you can launch a satellite then you can have long range missile too.
 

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