Pokhran-II

Pokhran-II
Operation Shakti
Shakti I prior to its detonation
Information
CountryIndia
Test sitePokhran Test Range, Rajasthan
Coordinates27°04′44″N 71°43′20″E / 27.07889°N 71.72222°E / 27.07889; 71.72222
Period11–13 May 1998
Number of tests3 (5 devices fired)
Test typeUnderground
Device typefission and fusion
Max. yield45 kilotons of TNT (190 TJ)
Test chronology

Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti) was a series of five nuclear weapon tests conducted by India in May 1998. The bombs were detonated at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. It was the second instance of nuclear testing conducted by India, after the first test, code-named Smiling Buddha, was conducted in May 1974.

The test consisted of five detonations, the first of which was a high yield fusion bomb while the remaining four were fission bombs. One fusion and two fission bombs were detonated on 11 May 1998 and two more fission bombs were detonated two days later on 13 May 1998. The tests were collectively called Operation Shakti, and the five nuclear bombs were designated as Shakti-I through to Shakti-V.

The tests achieved their main objective of giving India the capability to build fission and thermonuclear weapons with yields up to 200 kilotons. Then chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission described each one of the explosions to be equivalent to several tests carried out over the years by various nations. The Indian government convened a press conference to announce the tests and declared India as a full-fledged nuclear state. As a consequence of the tests, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1172 was enacted and economic sanctions were imposed by a number of countries including Japan and the United States.