Chidambaram's announcement at the joint press conference with APJ Abdul Kalam, scientific advisor to the defence minister on the Shakti 98 campaign, assumes significance, sources in the department of atomic energy (DAE) told The Financial Express, as it points to the country's continued efforts at maximising the weapons capability and effect deadly but "controlled damage" at selected enemy targets.

Kalam made the significant statement that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and DAE have effectively coordinated and integrated their respective technological strengths in a national mission to confer the country with a capability to "vacate nuclear threats." Asked how long it all took to conduct the blasts, the answer was "30 days."

Both the top scientistsdeclared that India had become a nuclear weapons state as per the definition of the Schedule 9 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In this context, the statement of Chidambaram for conducting more low-yield tests is significant, according to DAE experts, as these are the sort of weaponry that could be easily mounted on the missile delivery or submarine systems to explode selected enemy targets.

They refused to divulge the depth of the devices exploded, their fuel component and some criticial technical data. The tests conducted on May 11 and 13 were a multi-disciplinary activitiy and apart from the DRDO and DAE, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indian Air Force and Indian Army were actively involved in preparing the devices, ground prepartion, transport and coordinate arrangements.

The three tests conducted simultaneously on May 11 included the thermo-nuclear 45-kiloton device, pure-fission 15-kiloton device and a low-yield 0.2-kilotone device, and again on May 13 for two low-yield0.5-kiloton and 0.3-kiloton devices provided criticial data for the validation of the capability in the design of nuclear weapons of different yields for different application and different delivery systems, Chidambaram said.

Asked whether India needed to stockpile nuclear arms, both Chidambaram and Kalam said, "The US had 10,000 nuclear warheads. But they need such proliferation to further commercial interests. India had developed the nuclear weaponry for national security. India had never launched an invasion but needed the weapon to protect itself."

But BARC director A K Kakodkar, who developed the design of the various kinds of nuclear devices, pointed to the fact that whenever needed the nuclear devices could be fabricated off-the-shelf. He said, "BARC has worked out several new concepts like long shelf-life of device components and optimisation of the yield-to-weight ratio."

The test of the high-yield thermo nuclear device or the hydrogen bomb was also cited by them as the perfection of skill ofthe Indian scientists. It is a two-stage device. The first stage has a fission trigger and the second one the main device that has the potential to kill any living object but do not destroy buildings or other objects.

The experiment, when perfected, has tremendous peaceful applications, including that of producing uniterrupted energy throug non-fissionable techniques. Chidambaram to prove his point stated that no raidation in the air was detected after the blasts were conducted.

Alongwith BARC, three DRDO laboratories had the task of weaponising proven designs, test and produce advanced detonators, high-volt trigger, and systems integration to to military specifications. Kalam said that the tests were an excellent example of synergy between the DAE and DRDO. "Indian science and technology needs such synergy for growth," he added.