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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| U.S. confirms N.Korea's test was nuclear |
| 2006-10-16 |
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Monday that the test conducted by North Korea on October 9 was a nuclear explosion of less than one kiloton. "Analysis of air samples collected on October 11, 2006, detected radioactive debris which confirms that North Korea conducted an underground nuclear explosion," the director of national intelligence said in a statement. The statement said the explosion yield was less than a kiloton. By comparison, the nuclear bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 was about 12.5 kilotons. The announcement last week by the reclusive communist state that it had tested a nuclear bomb sharply escalated world concerns over North Korea's nuclear program. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #12 And here is something else to consider. We know that many pakistani missile tests were actually NoKo missiles painted green and launched from Pak soil. So while NoKo maintained a moratorium, Pak did tests for them. Suppose China is using its client states - Pak and NoKo to perform tests on components of a chinese weapon? They're not providing the actual Pu or U, for fear that the isotope signature would reveal the source, but the technology may be theirs and they are using the data gathered. |
| Posted by: john 2006-10-16 19:54 |
| #11 This is orders of magnitude above their current capabilities What capabilities? We know that (a) NoKO didn't have the technology to build a plant to manufacture bicycles. They relied for years on imports of used bicycles from Japan and China. Only last year did they get technology transfer from China and build a bicycle factory. (b) Travellers report that NoKo makes window glass with bubbles in it. Imagine that. These people have not figured out how to make glass without bubbles in it. NoKo is yet to manufacture a tractor, or a high speed lathe. But they build nukes? I assume ALL NoKo tech is direct transfer from China. It serves Chinese interests to have rogue clients tie down its adversaries in local conflicts. And transfer of a chinese H design is not out of the question. The A design provided to Pakistan was quite detailed, more for techicians than real scientists. Detailed instructions on how to machine each part. When you're at technician level, your tests are crude, just to verify the bomb works. You can gain little other knowledge from them because you're not doing real design. The Pakistani tests were hurried, with little data collection. They're at technician level. NoKO has invested a lot of resources, so their bomb people might be beyond that level, into real design. They lack the industrial base however, so Chinese help and actual designs would be crucial. |
| Posted by: john 2006-10-16 19:46 |
| #10 Pakistan also had some fizzles during its nuclear tests. AQ Khan's U design reportedly failed. Munir Ahmed Khan's Pu design (also Chinese) reportedly worked, though at fairly low yield. |
| Posted by: john 2006-10-16 19:36 |
| #9 I agree with Old Patriot. That's why I was eager to see how this test would go. This is undoubtedly a Chicom (Old Russkie) design. And they flubbed it. Not terribly surprising. Determination of yield is a variety of very exacting pieces of the puzzle. Everything has to be perfect to get a large yield. They're not nearly there yet. Hydrogen bomb ? You have to be kidding. This is orders of magnitude above their current capabilities. I expect Chicoms will lend help to make certain the next one makes a reasonable boom. Two flubs in a row would cause Kimmie to upchuck his Hennessy. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-10-16 19:20 |
| #8 Glad AC is back in town. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2006-10-16 17:06 |
| #7 The most worrying possibility is that this is a fission trigger for a thermonuclear weapon Posted by john 2006-10-16 16:53 Norks threaten H-bomb test |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-10-16 17:01 |
| #6 Thanks John, makes my day. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2006-10-16 17:01 |
| #5 The most worrying possibility is that this is a fission trigger for a thermonuclear weapon |
| Posted by: john 2006-10-16 16:53 |
| #4 Pakistan also had some fizzles during its nuclear tests. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2006-10-16 14:49 |
| #3 They are close, probably a dud but they will learn from this. Even a dud of this size would be a significant dirty bomb. And the world, UN, continues to debate and do little. Our enemies are learning and getting stronger. North Korea, an ugly war my father fought in, and now probaly one my son will someday as well. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-10-16 13:59 |
| #2 Less than a kiloton, but still nuclear (for NKor) = a dud. They got FAR less than a chain reaction. Either their plutonium was impure (as many suggest) or their device didn't implode properly (my guess). There's LOTS of things that can go wrong in a nuke. I think the NKors found out for themselves that they don't have all the answers, only they'll NEVER admit it. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-10-16 13:16 |
| #1 Furthermore, to get a sense of how these stack up to contemporary nuclear weapons: The amount of energy released by fission bombs can range between the equivalent of less than a ton of TNT upwards to around 500,000 tons (500 kilotons) of TNT. The second basic type of nuclear weapon produces a large amount of its energy through nuclear fusion reactions, and can be over a thousand times more powerful than fission bombs From Wikipedia |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2006-10-16 12:48 |