A special Material Enrichment Facility (SMEF) is taking shape in Chtitradurga, say reports from the The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). They say that India has started constructing a large enrichment centrifuge complex near Chitradurga, Karnataka where it is reported that between 2009 and 2010, approximately 10000 acres of land was diverted for defense purposes. It is also expected to be a secret testing ground for armed drones. They have come to this conclusion on the basis of satellite photographs and other evidence that they have collected from various sources. This the second instance of the veil of secrecy being pierced, the first being when the IHS Jane revealed on June 20th that India was possibly extending Mysore’s Indian Rare Metals Plant into clandestine production of uranium hexafluoride that could theoretically be channelled towards the manufacture of hydrogen bombs.
1,410 acres in Ullarthi Kaval and 400 acres in Khudapura were allocated to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for the purpose of developing the SMEF, the ISIS said, adding that a further 4,000 acres in Varavu Kaval and 290 acres in Khudapura were allocated to the Defence Research and Development Organisation for the purpose of developing and testing “long-endurance (48-72 hours) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles.” Says the ISIS. Further according to the ISIS, the April 17, 2014 Airbus commercial satellite imagery appeared to show two areas isolated with 10 km and 5 km walls, as well as a 3.5 km runway and a secondary runway that was “clearly visible” south of this area, believed to be in DRDO’s test centre for long-endurance UAVs and UCAVs which are nothing but drones.
The speed of the development work underway appears to be evidenced by the fact that a photograph of the site taken on May 2, 2013 only showed that one wall and fencing were under construction, small excavation activity was taking place in several areas, and the DRDO runway and surrounding buildings, were “clearly at the initial construction stage”.
Similarly in Ullarthi Kaval satellite imagery from April 4, 2014 was said to show “pieces of land of being fenced off by what appears to be a wall… a row of five medium size and five smaller buildings… visible on the eastern perimeter of the site, as well as what appear to be possible wells.”
In this regard the ISIS however cautioned, “It is unwise to build a nuclear enrichment facility almost adjacent to a UAV and UCAV test centre. A statement from BARC could resolve this question and would be welcome.”
Evidence supporting these conjectures was compiled from commercial satellite photographs attributed to Airbus, as well as publicly available information, noted the ISIS, including reports by environmental groups that have sought to challenge the sighting of the BARC facility in Karnataka as illegal.
The report’s authors, David Albright and Serena Kelleher-Vergantini, said that the new facility “will significantly increase India’s ability to produce enriched uranium for both civil and military purposes, including nuclear weapons”, urging India to therefore announce that the SMEF would be subject to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, committed only to peaceful uses.
At the heart of India’s apparently strong enrichment thrust is an urgent need for Highly Enriched Uranium for the indigenously developed INS Arihant nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and probably for nuclear and thermonuclear weapons.
Yet according to the ISIS India as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty faces the risk of trade bans from, for example, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which may have concerns about the suitability of Indian nuclear entities as to receive nuclear imports regardless of the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement’s separation between military and civil nuclear programmes.
