Missiles, Rockets, Bombs Used To Cover Up Nuke Tests Preparations: APJ Abdul Kalam

New Delhi, Jan 26, IRNA -- India had launched a series of missiles, rockets and dropped experimental bombs to divert attention of ˈsnoopersˈ before conducting the 1998 nuclear tests, A P J Abdul Kalam, considered the father of Indiaˈs missile programmee, said here on Thursday. These well-planned measures were taken to ˈdivert the attention of snoopersˈ two days before the nuclear tests in Pokhran in the summer of 1998, the former President said. Delivering the 7th R N Kao Memorial Lecture organized here by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Kalam went down the memory lane about the anxious days before the nuclear tests during which the DRDO and his team worked over-time to make the tests successful in utter secrecy, pti reported. ˈAn important event was to take place the next day. Multiple agencies were in action. The next two nights were dark nights with no moon light. The other side, the world was sleeping. At the Chandipur flight test range, a series of 12 Trishuls were launched. Almost every two hours one launch. ˈAt the Island range at stealth launch pad, a simulated Agni launch preparations were going on in high intensity. In Pokharan ranges, away from the action point, a number of rockets, PINAKA type, were put into action. At mid-day and evening, Air Force aircraft was bombarding with runway destruction bombs on experimental runways,ˈ he said. The next day, Kalam said, India woke up to the news that three nuclear tests had been conducted on the same day and another two the next day. ˈNo one knew about it except three souls and their classified team...the whole event I described can be classified as more than a Black Swan,ˈ he said./end