Nuclear Tests of India (Pokhran I & II)

India tested a nuclear device in 1974 and called it peaceful. Twenty-four years later, it tested five more and called them exactly what they were. This article covers India’s nuclear tests at Pokhran — Smiling Buddha in 1974, and Operation Shakti in 1998.

From “Peaceful” to Declared

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18 MAY 1974

Smiling Buddha

First test, called a “peaceful” explosion

11 MAY 1998

Shakti I, II, III

3 devices fired simultaneously

13 MAY 1998

Shakti IV, V

2 more sub-kiloton devices tested

1999

National Technology Day

First observed, marking 11 May

The shift: 1974 was framed as peaceful, with no declared weapons programme. 1998 was an unambiguous declaration of weapons capability.

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Timeline

• 18 May 1974: India conducts Smiling Buddha, its first nuclear test, at Pokhran.
• 11 May 1998: Three devices are fired simultaneously in Operation Shakti’s first round.
• 13 May 1998: Two more sub-kiloton devices are tested, completing Pokhran-II.
• 1999: India first observes National Technology Day on 11 May, commemorating Pokhran-II.

Must Know

• India’s first nuclear test, Smiling Buddha, happened on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran. It was an implosion-type device, framed as a “peaceful nuclear explosion,” with a yield of 6-10 kilotons.
• Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti) ran 11-13 May 1998: five devices across two days, including a 45-kiloton thermonuclear device.
• After Pokhran-II, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared a voluntary moratorium on further nuclear testing, a posture India still maintains.
• 11 May is marked as National Technology Day, commemorating Pokhran-II, first celebrated in 1999.

Good to Know

• On 11 May 1998, three devices were fired simultaneously at 3:45 pm: a 45-kiloton thermonuclear device, a 15-kiloton fission device, and a 0.2-kiloton sub-kiloton device.
• Two more sub-kiloton devices, yielding 0.5 and 0.3 kilotons, were tested on 13 May 1998.
• The same day as Shakti’s first tests, India also test-fired the Trishul missile and flew Hansa-3, its first indigenously built aircraft.
• India has declined to sign the CTBT even while maintaining its voluntary testing moratorium.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. On what date did India conduct Smiling Buddha, its first nuclear test at Pokhran?

18 May 1974

11 May 1998

13 May 1998

15 August 1974

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Great to Know

• Smiling Buddha and Pokhran-II reflect two different postures. 1974 was framed as a peaceful explosion, with no declared weapons programme. 1998 was an unambiguous declaration of weapons capability.
• Pokhran-II triggered international sanctions and tighter export controls, reshaping India’s diplomatic relationships for years afterward.
• India’s moratorium is voluntary, not treaty-bound. India can resume testing if it judges its “supreme national interests” require it — a position it has kept even while declining to sign the CTBT.
• For India’s broader nuclear energy programme, see SciTech0021 — Nuclear Energy Programmes of India.