It is interesting to now review the history of initial reactor criticality and inaugural nuclear tests conducted by the first six nuclear powers.
Country
First plutonium
production reactor goes critical
First test of a
Pu-based
A-bomb or primary
Time, in months,
reactor criticality to
A-bomb
Time, in months, first A-bomb to first true thermonuclear
U.S.A.
September, 1944
July, 1945
10
86
U.S.S.R.
June, 1948
August, 1949
14
75
U.K.
July, 1950
October, 1952
27
62
France
January, 1956
February, 1960
49
103
Israel
December, 1963
~ June, 1967*
~40
?
China
October, 1966
December, 1968**
26
32
* Israel had one or two nuclear weapons on hand at the time of the Six-Day war, and thus she could have tested in June ‘67 if she had desired to do so.
** China’s first nuclear detonation took place on October 16, 1964, an all-HEU weapon. Pu was first used in a nuclear test on December 27, 1968.
A Tabulation of Chinese Nuclear Device Tests
Test
No.
Date
Yield (kt)
Location or Delivery System
Other Observations (Based on remarks by Chinese Scientists)
1
16 Oct ‘64
22
Atop a 102 meter high steel tower
Fission device, U-235 implosion, no boosting, weighed 3,410 lbs
2
14 May ‘65
35
Delivered via Hong-6 aircraft, air burst at ~500 m
Fission, U-235 implosion, no boosting. Probably weaponizing CHIC-1 into an air-droppable bomb
3
9 May ‘66
200-300
Aircraft delivered, air burst
Boosted fission device, U-235, and first use of TN material, Li-6. Probably first test of Chinese TN primary
4
27 Oct ‘66
12
Medium range ballistic missile,
CSS-1 (Dongfeng 2) Air burst at 569 m
Fission, U-235. Launched from Shuangchengzi to the Chinese nuclear weapon test site. (Export model)
5
28 Dec ‘66
122
Atop 102 meter high steel tower
First test of a partial yield thermonuclear, testing the two-stage principle; second test of TN primary. Too massive to be deliverable as a weapon.
Used U-235, U-238 and Li-6 D
6
17 June ‘67
3,300
Aircraft delivered, Hong-6A bomber. Parachute retarded air burst at 2,960 m
First thermonuclear weapon, fission-fusion-fission type, using U-235, U-238 and Li-6 D.
7
24 Dec ‘67
10-20
Aircraft delivered, air burst
U-235, U-238 and Li-6 present. Apparently a failed TN.
8
27 Dec ‘68
3,000
Aircraft delivered, Hong-5 bomber
New thermonuclear device, and first use of plutonium. (China’s first nuclear reactor went critical in October ’66.) Pu-239, U-235 and Li-6 D present.
9
23 Sept ‘69
19.2
Tunnel in Nan Shan (South Mountain)
First underground, tunnel test. It vented.
10
29 Sept ‘69
3,000
Aircraft delivered air burst
Thermonuclear
11
14 Oct ’70
3,000
Aircraft delivered air burst
Thermonuclear
12
18 Nov ‘71
10-15
Partially buried
Fission, with Pu-239 and U-235 present
13
7 Jan ‘72
5-10
Aircraft delivered, by Qian-5 attack jet
Fission, with Pu-239 present
14
18 Mar ‘72
150-200
Aircraft delivered air burst
Thermonuclear, apparent failure.
15
27 June ‘73
2,500
Aircraft delivered, air burst at high altitude
Thermonuclear
16
17 June ‘74
200-1,000
Atmospheric air burst
Thermonuclear
17
27 Oct ‘75
15
Tunnel in Bei Shan (North Mountain)
Fission device. Second underground test, six years after the first.
18
23 Jan ‘76
2-20
Atmospheric, near surface
Fission
19
26 Sept ‘76
20-200
Atmospheric air burst
Fission (possible failure of a fusion device.) Contained Li (DT)
20
17 Oct ‘76
10
Tunnel in Bei Shan
(North Mountain)
Fission
21
17 Nov ‘76
4,000
Aircraft delivered air burst
Test of new thermonuclear bomb; largest Chinese nuclear yield.
22
17 Sept ‘77
20
Atmospheric air burst
Fission
23
15 Mar ‘78
6-20
Atmospheric surface burst
Fission
24
14 Oct ‘78
5
Vertical underground shaft
Fission. First nuclear test in a vertical underground shaft, vs. tunnel
25
14 Dec ‘78
10-20
Atmospheric surface burst
Fission
26
13 Sept ‘79
Failure
Aircraft delivered surface burst
Parachute did not deploy, no nuclear yield. (And thus not noted by West)
27
16 Oct ‘80
700
Atmospheric air burst
Last atmospheric test by any nuclear power
28
5 Oct ‘82
1
Vertical underground shaft
First attempt at a neutron bomb, a failure
29
4 May ‘83
1
Tunnel in Bei Shan (North Mountain)
Second attempt at a neutron bomb, a failure
30
6 Oct ‘83
15.1
Vertical underground shaft
Third attempt at a neutron bomb, a failure
31
3 Oct ‘84
12
Vertical underground shaft
Fourth attempt at a neutron bomb, a failure
32
19 Dec ‘84
2-5
Tunel in Bei Shan (North Mountain)
Test of a new approach to a neutron bomb, fifth attempt. A success
33
5 June ‘87
125
Vertical underground shaft
Partial yield, related to # 27
34
29 Sept ‘88
2
Tunnel in Bei Shan
(North Mountain)
Final proof test of a neutron bomb, which was a success
35
26 May ‘90
10-50
Vertical underground shaft
Probable test of a Pakistani CHIC-4 derivative. Most likely at 10 kilotons.
36
16 Aug ‘90
200
Vertical underground shaft
Partial yield test related to No. 27.
37
21 May ‘92
420
Vertical underground shaft
A partial yield test, related to No. 27
38
25 Sept ‘92
10
Tunnel in Bei Shan
(North Mountain)
Partial yield test of an earlier device; first test with a sophisticated primary and a dual-axis PINEX experiment.
Multiple Chinese sources advise that with Test No. 38 stockpile development was complete. Subsequent tests were related to engineering, safety and reliability issues.
39
5 Oct ‘93
40-50
Vertical underground shaft
Partial yield test, related to No. 38, using Insensitive High Explosive for the first time in their nuclear test program
40
10 June ‘94
50
Vertical underground shaft
Safety and reliability test
41
7 Oct ‘94
90
Vertical underground shaft
Safety and reliability test
42
15 May ‘95
140
Vertical underground shaft
Safety And reliability test
43
17 Aug ‘95
90
Vertical underground shaft
Safety and reliability test
44
8 June ‘96
5
Vertical underground shaft
Simultaneous test of two devices with enough distance between them to preclude interference. Both devices probably used insensitive high explosive.
45
8 June ‘96
90
Vertical underground shaft
46
29 July ‘96
10
Tunnel in Bei Shan (North Mountain)
Possible test of insensitive high explosive, a final safety test.
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