This annotated chronology is based on the data sources that follow each entry. Public sources often provide conflicting information on classified military programs. In some cases we are unable to resolve these discrepancies, in others we have deliberately refrained from doing so to highlight the potential influence of false or misleading information as it appeared over time. In many cases, we are unable to independently verify claims. Hence in reviewing this chronology, readers should take into account the credibility of the sources employed here.

Inclusion in this chronology does not necessarily indicate that a particular development is of direct or indirect proliferation significance. Some entries provide international or domestic context for technological development and national policymaking. Moreover, some entries may refer to developments with positive consequences for nonproliferation.

Early 1986
The Indian Army begins planning a large military exercise—Brasstacks—along the western border with Pakistan to test its ability to conduct mobile armored warfare. The exercise is divided into four phases from May 1986 to March 1987.
—Kanti P. Bajpai et al., "India and the Initiation of a Crisis," Brasstacks and Beyond: Perception and Management of Crisis in South Asia (New Delhi: Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 1995), p. 28.

16 January 1986
Nucleonics Week reports India has earmarked $2.3 billion for the nuclear sector in the five year plan period ending in 1990. According to details of India's Seventh Five-Year Plan, $1.2 billion is allocated for nuclear power projects and $262.5 million is directed towards research and development projects. The plan foresees the commissioning of Unit 2 of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS-2) and two 235MW units at Narora, the continuing of the two-unit Kakrapar facility and the beginning of four additional 235MW reactors. Funding for the next generation of India's 500MW nuclear generators "will be expedited," says the report. The Seventh Five-Year Plan also sees India's fast breeder reactor technology move out of the laboratory, and the setting up of new facilities for nuclear research, which will include a variable energy cyclotron and an electron accelerator, reports Nucleonics Week. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is also creating an administration network to oversee all of India's nuclear power projects.
—"Briefly: India," Nucleonics Week, 16 January 1986, p. 17.

5 February 1986
Dr. C.V. Sundaram, Director of the Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam says India will be capable of producing 10,000MW of nuclear energy by the year 2000.
—"Atomic Energy – Power and Breeding," New Delhi Home Service, 5 February 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 19 February 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

4 March 1986
India's Minister of State for Defense Arun Singh recommends that India should consider abandoning its non-nuclear policy in the face of a nuclear threat from Pakistan.
—"India should consider...," UPI, 4 March 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 4 March 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

8 April 1986
Answering questions in Parliament, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi says, "India does not have a nuclear weapons program and does not want to go ahead with a nuclear weapons program. India's nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes."
—"Indian Prime Minister on Nuclear Disarmament," Xinhua (Beijing), 8 April 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 April 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

16 April 1986
Shivraj V. Patil, Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology, says India has become "self-reliant in nuclear technology." India now has the technology "for the construction of nuclear reactors and production of heavy water." It also has developed technology for the disposal of nuclear waste.
—"India Becomes Self-Reliant in Nuclear Technology," Xinhua (Beijing), 16 April 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 16 April 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

29 April 1986
A fire causes heavy damage at the Talcher heavy water production facility. The fire is caused by "failure of one of the aluminum liners in the gasket used on the cover joint in one of the synthetic gas compressors," states K.S. Bhimbhat, Executive Director of Heavy Water Projects in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The pipeline that channels synthetic gas from a fertilizer plant was immediately closed, and the remaining gas in the line was burnt down. The blaze was brought under control within an hour. Bhimbhat estimates that the plant will be shut down for approximately three months for repairs, previously scheduled modifications and annual maintenance.
—"Briefly: India," Nucleonics Week, 22 May 1986, pp. 15-16.

9 May 1986
The Financial Times reports that India attempted to purchase "two sophisticated industrial cameras in Britain." Western officials view the attempt by the Indian defense ministry to buy the cameras, known as flash discharge x-ray machines, from Hadland Photonics of Hemel Hempstead as indicating India has resumed it nuclear weapons program. According to the report, "the machines can take a series of pictures through metal at extremely short intervals and are typically used to inspect welds or calibrate guns. They are also used in designing nuclear weapons." The sale was blocked by the British government. It is reported that India has now approached the Swedish company Scandiflash of Uppsala.
—Simon Henderson, "Suspicions Aroused on Indian N-Weapons," Financial Times (London), 9 May 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 9 May 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

9 June 1986
N. Srinivasan, a member of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and supervisor of India's heavy water production, tells reporters that India will soon be self-sufficient in the production of heavy water. Srinivasan says, "We now do in six years in this entire technology what once would take ten years. You may say that, given the resources, we have the expertise to design, construct and operate heavy water plants on our own."
—"India to be Self-sufficient in Heavy Water Production," Xinhua (Beijing), 9 June 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 9 June 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

27 June 1986
According to an Indian government press release, about seven tons of heavy water escaped from the coolant system of the Madras Nuclear Power Plant (MAPP-1) on 25 June. The MAPP-1 was undergoing re-commissioning activities. The incident did not result in the release of any radioactivity into the surrounding environment.
—"Indian Nuclear Reactor's Incident," Xinhua (Beijing), 27 June 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 27 June 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

26 July 1986
Speaking at the atomic research center in Kalpakkam, Indian Vice-President R. Venkataraman says India "would continue to tap nuclear power potential despite the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union." Currently, India has three nuclear power plants located in the states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, with a total power generating capacity of 1,273MW. India intends to reach a nuclear generated power capacity of 10,000MW by the year 2000.
—"Indian Vice-President on Nuclear Power Exploitation," Xinhua (Beijing), 26 July 1985; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 26 June 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

2 August 1986
India's parliament appeals to members of the six-nation (India, Mexico, Argentina, Tanzania, Greece and Sweden) summit to be held in Mexico next week. They urge summit members to "take further initiatives to give a call to try to halt this race to doom. Above all, we would request you to give a call for a complete nuclear test ban treaty and to keep outer space free from any kind of weapon." This six-nation meeting is a continuation of disarmament discussions which took place in New Delhi in January 1985.
—"Indian Parliamentarians Appeal for Halt to Arms Race," Xinhua (Beijing), 2 August 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 2 August 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

8 August 1986
Dr. P.K. Iyengar, Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, announces the research nuclear reactor Apsara will be the first nuclear reactor in India to be decommissioned. Built in 1956, Apsara, a 1MW pool reactor, was India's first research reactor and trained many of its top nuclear scientists.
—"India's Oldest Nuclear Reactor to be Decommissioned," Xinhua (Beijing), 8 August 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 August 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

20 August 1986
India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) announces it will turn down the Soviet Union's offer to sell India two 440MW light water, enriched uranium reactors. In arriving at its decision, the DAE says accepting the offer would disrupt India's existing nuclear power program. India's reactors are based on heavy water natural uranium fueled reactors.
—"India Rejects Soviet Nuclear Reactors Offer," Xinhua (Beijing), 20 August 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 August 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

28 August 1986
According to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is considering decommissioning Unit 1 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS-1). RAPS-1 was originally shut down on 4 March 1982 after technicians discovered a leakage in the south end-shield. The unit was restarted in February 1985 after technicians attempted to seal the leak with the use of remote robots and chemicals. However, the unit was down again three months later when additional cracks appeared in other locations. Malur Srinivasan, Chairman of the Nuclear Power Board, say every conventional repair attempt has been tired "but we have found that it is not possible to solve the problem with existing technology." During an interview with Nucleonics Weekly, DAE Chairman Dr. Raja Ramanna says that a total replacement might be necessary. To replace an end-shield would be a major undertaking and involve robotic technologies that have yet to be developed. Nuclear experts believe any repair attempt would be too costly; therefore India's best alternative is to decommission the reactor. Furthermore, RAPS-1 would not be able to operate at its full 235MW capacity because seven of its fuel channels have been permanently plugged over that past few years in order to seal the leaks. Supplied by Canada, the end-shield is made of nickel carbon steel which became embrittled by radiation exposure. Srinivasan says other reactors will not encounter the same problems with their end-shield because India's other nuclear reactors use end-shields made of different material.
—Vyvyan Tenorio, "India's Department of Atomic Energy (SAE) Has Given up on Trying to Fix Raps-1's...," Nucleonics Week, 28 August 1986, pp. 12-13.

28 August 1986
According to Dr. P.K. Iyengar, Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), India's first research reactor, the Apsara, will soon be decommissioned. He say, "It will be dismantled and its radioactive parts will be safely stored." Uncontaminated components such as control equipment and pumps will be used to construct a new test reactor similar to Apsara. Originally built in 1956, the Apsara is a 1MW swimming pool reactor; it is the first reactor scheduled to be decommissioned in India.
—"Briefly: India," Nucleonics Week, 28 August 1986, p. 20.

29 August 1986
An Indian Embassy official denies allegations that India has "failed to account for heavy water used in making nuclear weapons." The allegations were made by Gary Milhollin, a former US Nuclear Regulatory Commission consultant. Now working for the US Natural Resources Defense Council, Milhollin reported in a study released last January that "India lacked sufficient heavy water," without illegal imports from China or diversion, to open the three new atomic reactors that went on line in 1985. Milhollin adds that these new reactors could produce nuclear material for up to 15 nuclear bombs annually. Responding to Milhollin's allegations, Subramaniam Jayhawker, Indian Embassy First Secretary, calls the study "utter nonsense." He adds a deal between China and India "is difficult to take seriously." Han-Friedrich Meyer, a spokesperson for the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), says no diversion has been found. "We have checked all the heavy water inventories of the heavy water under safeguard by the agency in India. No diversions have been detected. We checked it. So we know about it."
—"India Got Weapons Capability with Chinese Help, Researcher Charges," Associated Press, 29 August 1986, in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 29 August 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>; "India Denies Charges on Secret Building of Nuclear Arms, Xinhua (Beijing), 30 August 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 30 August 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

4 September 1986
Unit 2 of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS-2) is shut down because of a malfunctioning control valve and other minor repairs. However, the reactor is re-stared shortly after the repairs are been completed.
—Notes Pertaining to the Generating Table for July: India's Mapp-2...," Nucleonics Week, 4 September 1986, p. 15.

7 September 1986
The Times of India reports the commissioning of India's largest nuclear research reactor, Dhruva, has been postponed indefinitely. The postponement has been caused by a "major recurrence of the vibration problem which has been plaguing the reactor ever since [it achieved criticality] in August of last year."
—"Operation of India's Largest Reactor Putt Off," Xinhua (Beijing), 8 September 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 8 September 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

11 September 1986
The Statesman reports the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) will soon commission India's first nuclear waste storage facility. The underground vault made of steel reinforced concrete is located a short distance from the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), and will be the storage facility for the nuclear waste that has been accumulating in India since 1956.
—"India's First Nuclear Waste Storage Facility to be Commissioned," Xinhua (Beijing), 11 September 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 11 September 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

28 October 1986
India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) reports that the 100-metic ton capacity Thal Vaishet heavy water facility has begun production. Construction of the plant began in 1982 and competed initial testing on 15 October 1986. Feedstock for Thal Vaishet is synthesis ammonia gas from the adjoining state-owned fertilizer plant. Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd, a public company, constructed and is currently operating both facilities.

Thal Vaishet is India's fifth heavy water production facility and was completed ahead of schedule. Another heavy water facility at Talcher was heavily damaged as a result of a fire earlier this year. The three other plants—Baroda, Tuticorin, and Kota—are operating at satisfactory levels. Although India has experienced numerous problems with its heavy water production facilities, New Delhi has decided not to purchase heavy water from international sources which would be subject to safeguards.
—"The Thal Vaishet Heavy Water Plant has Begun Production," Nucleonics Week, 27 November 1986, pp. 2-3.

Late 1986
The Indian parliament amends the constitution to grant statehood to the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA); the new state is called Arunachal Pradesh. Subsequent to the amendment, tensions between India and China mount as the state covers areas that both countries consider disputed territory.
—George Perkovich, "Nuclear Capabilities Grow," India's Nuclear Bomb: The Impact on Global Proliferation (Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press, 1999), p. 289.

2 November 1986
The US administration approves the sale of US-made supercomputers to India. The supercomputers are capable of performing a large number of complex calculations at a high rate. While India wants the computers to track monsoon weather patterns, the supercomputers also have a "vast number of military applications, including designing nuclear and conventional weapons, making and breaking codes, and figuring the aerodynamic properties of rockets and airplanes." There are concerns in Washington that India might use the supercomputers to aid its suspected nuclear weapons program, or India will allow the technology to leak to the Soviet Union.
—"US Permits Sale of Supercomputer to India," Xinhua (Beijing), 2 November 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 2 November 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

4 November 1986
Dr. Raja Ramanna, chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission, says India is capable of producing enriched uranium at any level of purity. He says, "If this country (India) requires enriched uranium, we can produce enriched uranium." Ramanna made his statement following a Washington Post report that Pakistan has made "dramatic progress towards developing a nuclear weapon."
—"India has Nuclear Weapons Capability," UPI, 4 November 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 4 November 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

Early November 1986
Pakistan's Army Reserve South (ARS) completes its planned exercise; but troops remain in their exercise area as a precautionary response to India's Brasstacks exercise.
—Kanti P. Bajpai et al., "India and the Initiation of a Crisis," Brasstacks and Beyond: Perception and Management of Crisis in South Asia (New Delhi: Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 1995), p. 31.

27 November 1986
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev issue a joint declaration for an international ban on the use of nuclear weapons aimed at establishing a "Nuclear Free and Non-violent World." The plan includes proposals for:

• Complete destruction of nuclear arsenals before the year 2000
• Barring of all weapons from outer space
• Banning of all nuclear weapons tests
• Prohibition of the development of new types of weapons of mass destruction
• Banning of chemical weapons and destruction of their stockpiles
• Reduction in the levels of conventional and armed forces

December 1986
Pakistan begins its own annual winter exercise along the border with India and deploys its Army Reserve North (ARN) in north Punjab as a hedge against provocative Indian deployments in the Rajasthan desert.
—Kanti P. Bajpai et al., "India and the Initiation of a Crisis," Brasstacks and Beyond: Perception and Management of Crisis in South Asia (New Delhi: Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 1995), p. 32.

8 December 1986
Members of India's parliament, cutting across party likes, appeal to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's government to revise India's nuclear policy because of the reported increase in Pakistan nuclear capability.
—"India MPs call for 'Deterrent' Against Pakistan's Nuclear Capability," Press Trust of India, 8 December 1986; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, 10 December 1986, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

December 1986-January 1987
As part of Phase III of Brasstacks Exercise, India concentrates two armored divisions, one mechanized division, and six infantry divisions in the Rajasthan desert adjacent to Pakistan's Sindh province. Pakistani leaders and government officials are not informed about the scale and scope of the exercise, nor do Indian officials establish communication links during the exercise to reassure Pakistan of India's intent.
—Kanti P. Bajpai et al., "India and the Initiation of a Crisis," Brasstacks and Beyond: Perception and Management of Crisis in South Asia (New Delhi: Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 1995), pp. 28-29.

	Updated October 2003