06-04-2010, 09:47 PM
[quote name='gangajal1' date='04 June 2010 - 11:26 AM' timestamp='1275630507' post='106720']
Expansion of India's highly enriched Uranium production is necessary for running the Nuke Sub fleet. It is highly unlikely that India will use this HEU for weapons production.
[/quote]
FYI, due to long term close proximity to warheads in cramped submarine quarters, US and other countries were forced to reduce Plutonium in fissile material to bare minimm and use Higly enriched Uranium insted for the secondary and tertiary fuel for their warheads (which are all Thermo Nukes, that gives lowest possible warhead weight and for teh limited rocket energy longest reach/range).
Given Indian TN fiasco in 1998, Arihant's MIRV nuclear missile deployment will be forced to use mixed MIRV payload of proven Fission/FBF with ostensibly debugged TN warhead with HEU tertiary (Even military grade Pu is moderately radioactive, whose radioactivity is few order more than HEU) . And for Arihant that TN design will be different design compared to Land / Air delivered Nuclear warheads. So Arihant TN will use HEU based TN, while the rest of the forces will use the debugged TN of 1998 vintage that use a concoction of various isotopes of Plutonium that are mildly radioactive.
Bottom line is that submarine based tirade leg required HEU not only for nuclear reactor but also for TN warhead. (I know in India value of life is cheap, but life of crew that bear Indian nuclear deterrence better not be cheap).
Expansion of India's highly enriched Uranium production is necessary for running the Nuke Sub fleet. It is highly unlikely that India will use this HEU for weapons production.
[/quote]
FYI, due to long term close proximity to warheads in cramped submarine quarters, US and other countries were forced to reduce Plutonium in fissile material to bare minimm and use Higly enriched Uranium insted for the secondary and tertiary fuel for their warheads (which are all Thermo Nukes, that gives lowest possible warhead weight and for teh limited rocket energy longest reach/range).
Given Indian TN fiasco in 1998, Arihant's MIRV nuclear missile deployment will be forced to use mixed MIRV payload of proven Fission/FBF with ostensibly debugged TN warhead with HEU tertiary (Even military grade Pu is moderately radioactive, whose radioactivity is few order more than HEU) . And for Arihant that TN design will be different design compared to Land / Air delivered Nuclear warheads. So Arihant TN will use HEU based TN, while the rest of the forces will use the debugged TN of 1998 vintage that use a concoction of various isotopes of Plutonium that are mildly radioactive.
Bottom line is that submarine based tirade leg required HEU not only for nuclear reactor but also for TN warhead. (I know in India value of life is cheap, but life of crew that bear Indian nuclear deterrence better not be cheap).