India Tests the Bomb and Becomes a Nuclear Power
A 1974 blast called peaceful and a 1998 series of tests that ended the pretense
Quick facts
- First test
- 18 May 1974, code-named Smiling Buddha
- Site
- Pokhran, Rajasthan
- 1998 tests
- Five, on 11 and 13 May 1998
- Result
- India declared a nuclear weapons state
What happened
On May 18, 1974, the Arms Control Association records, India for the first time detonated a nuclear device at the Pokhran testing site, code-named Smiling Buddha. Its leaders claimed they needed this explosive capability for peaceful purposes, such as earth-moving operations, mining, and canal digging. The test, as Global Zero notes, marked India's new status as the seventh country to develop its own nuclear weapon, and it drove the creation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to police nuclear exports. India kept its capability ambiguous for a generation, then dropped the ambiguity: India conducted five nuclear weapons tests on May 11 and 13, 1998, and declared India a nuclear weapons state. Neighbouring Pakistan tested its own weapons weeks later.
Why it matters
India's tests made South Asia a nuclear region and put nuclear weapons in the hands of two states that had already fought several wars and still dispute Kashmir. The 1974 blast also reshaped the global nonproliferation system, prompting the export controls that still govern nuclear trade.
How we know
The 1974 and 1998 tests, their code names, and India's declaration as a nuclear weapons state are documented by the Arms Control Association and the disarmament organization Global Zero, drawing on the public record and Indian government statements.
Sources
- Arms Control Association. The Legacy of India's Nuclear Weapons Test · General sourcearmscontrol.org · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Global Zero. "Smiling Buddha" Ushered India into the Nuclear Age · General sourceglobalzero.org · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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