SWR: CHINA: THE 21 MAY NUCLEAR TEST-A MULTIPLE-DEVICE EXPERIMENT?

Created: 8/6/1992

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Directorate of Intelligence

Science and Weapons Review

2

Fesrttry

Science and Weapons Review

A Publication of the

Office ofeapons Research2

CHINA: Theay NuclearMultiple-Device Experiment?

Chinese press reporting that two high-yield devices

were detonated in last May's Lop Sur test ii Is possible, however,ower-yield second or third device was involved; if so. this could indicate an advance in testing]

Liui

uocoffriMcr

CHINA

theay nuclearmultiple-device experiment?

ong Kong Chen* Ming report quoting Deng Xiaoping, the nuclear test conducted at Lop Nur on2 was the most powerful underground nuclear explosion in tbe history of the Chinese miliary Thii report also stated that "cacti of the two nuclear installations ignited at Lop Nor ooay was equivalent in powerNT" and that "itew nuclear

If thisuluple-device lest, it would have been the first known lest of this type in the Chinese program and could indicate an advance In testing capability. Obtaining good-quality magnoatic data from multiple devices is the major difficulty in conducting multiple testsingle test shaft II is unclear, however, why ibe Chinese would wish lo tea two identical-yield devices, given the cost and complexity of conducting multiple tests in the same sha(t|

Original document.

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