Pak capable of producing plutonium for weapons use: US

[The Watcher]

Excellent news!

Pak capable of producing plutonium for weapons use: US

Pakistan, which already has uranium-based nuclear arms, has developed the capability to produce plutonium for potential weapons use, a senior US official said.

Pakistan's capability to produce plutonium for potential weapons use is a "recent" development, director of the US defence intelligence agency, Admiral Lowell E Jacoby, told Congress Friday.

Earlier last month, Jacoby had told a Senate committee that Pakistan and India are continuing to expand and modernise their nuclear programmes.

He had said that nuclear "weapons stockpiles in India and Pakistan are expected to grow" in coming years, an estimate confirmed by other government intelligence agencies.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a Washington-based research group specialising in nuclear matters, announced as long as five years ago that Pakistan was "nearing fruition" in its efforts to produce plutonium, the Washington post noted, but no US government agency had confirmed publicly that Pakistan had done so.

Friday, other sources within the US intelligence community agreed with Admiral Jacoby that Pakistan has indeed achieved the plutonium capability.

David Albright, a nuclear physicist who is president of the ISIS, said: "it is a big concern that we never talk about pakistan moving ahead producing both enriched uranium and plutonium bombs.. The US is not protesting the idea that both Pakistan and India are modernizing their stockpiles to make them more deliverable and in the process increasing the risk of accidental war."
source

 

[corsair7772]

Actually, the ability to produce plutonium isnt new for pakistan. In the mid 1990s we were able to produce 1 plutonium bomb a year which is expected to grow once we get our hands on the other chinese reactor.

 

[mysterious]

Yeah you're right! Recent reports say that from 1 bomb per year earlier, now 4-5 bombs can be produced in a year (plutonium ones)! :smokingc:

 

[adil]

Are plutonium nuclear bombs more powerful than uranium ones? :help

 

[mysterious]

I think 'yes' (supposedly) or may be on a second thuoght, the uranium one could be more powerful. I'm not 'quite' clear on this matter. I think it depends on the explosion device, if its a 12KT or a 30KT ?? Anyone? :roll

 

[Red aRRow]

Plutonium based nuclear weapons are more powerful. Pu-239's critical mass i.e. the mass required for a fission reaction to take place is much less than the mass required for a bomb based on U-235.
So that makes a plutonium more powerful than uranium.

Atleast that is my understanding.

 

[corsair7772]

Plutonium based nuclear weapons are more powerful. Pu-239's critical mass i.e. the mass required for a fission reaction to take place is much less than the mass required for a bomb based on U-235.
So that makes a plutonium more powerful than uranium.

Atleast that is my understanding.

Thats right. Plutoniums better because it can be compressed into smaller spaces and be packed into more sophisticated warheads which arent bulky. But it is more difficult to handle and produce.

 

[mysterious]

Well, doesnt matter now whichever one of those is more capable as Pakistan can produce and equip its nuclear arsenal with both of them. And I'm sure that top officials have already decided how much to produce in each case. :smokingc:

 

[Faisal_Masud]

Wake up!
Now pakistan can produce plutonium for 3 bombs a year. Also pak is upgrading its Heavy Water moderated reactor and building plutonium extraction facility at Chasma by its own. Now we can say that Pak can produce Pu for at least 4 or 5 bombs a year.

 

[mysterious]

Thats pretty old news man! Like end of 2003 or something.

 

[Roger Smith]

Wake up!
Now pakistan can produce plutonium for 3 bombs a year. Also pak is upgrading its Heavy Water moderated reactor and building plutonium extraction facility at Chasma by its own. Now we can say that Pak can produce Pu for at least 4 or 5 bombs a year.

Pakistan should develop plutonium for peaceful purpose as well further its infrastructure and economic development for betterment of its people.

 

[suleman]

Are plutonium nuclear bombs more powerful than uranium ones? :help

Yes there are many two basic benifits of Plotonium bombs.

1)with smaller quantities they can do more distruction then urinium warheads and lighter warheads can help missiles to carry more payload.

2)Enriched uranium is processing of urinium and changing its state and its half life is almost 6 months and u need to again enrich it for use.Half life is when electrons come back to original states making enriched urinium an ordinary urinium.This all costs too much and very dangerous to mantain espacially when ur missiles are scattered in the field with warheards in case of war.Its also easier to hide missiles at remote locations for much longer time with plotonium tech.

 

[adil]

Half life is when electrons come back to original states making enriched urinium an ordinary urinium

i thought half life is the time it takes a radioactive substances radioavtvity to drop to half? is there any enrichment processes invloved with plutonium?

 

[mysterious]

How much is the half-life for Plutonium? I remember hearing it was a couple of years or something? :help

 

[suleman]

Half life of Pu-239 (mostly used ) is 24360 years.
No there is no enrichment process for plutonium but the major thing is how u get it as this form (239) of plutonium is almost non existent in nature so it is made by slowly bombarding uranium-238 which forms neptunium-239 which ommits beta particles and become plutonium-239.
Plutonium is also mixed with plutonium-240 and 241 mostly so this half life is average half life and my vary.

 

[adsH]

Half life of Pu-239 (mostly used ) is 24360 years.
No there is no enrichment process for plutonium but the major thing is how u get it as this form (239) of plutonium is almost non existent in nature so it is made by slowly bombarding uranium-238 which forms neptunium-239 which ommits beta particles and become plutonium-239.
Plutonium is also mixed with plutonium-240 and 241 mostly so this half life is average half life and my vary.

Curious!! India has this Tech already rite correct me if i am wrong are they producing these (just interested)

 

[suleman]

Till now i havent read anything which indicates that India is also produceing Plutonium tech.Rather India is using old technologies even to enrich Urinium they first need to improve their enrichment technology and then move to plutonium tech.Mostly international scientists and researchers admit that Pakistan's nuclear and missile technology is more advance then India.