Ajahadya and weapons of mass destruction
Ajahadya is widely believed to possess large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the form of biological weapons and chemical weapons and from 1951 to 1982 had a program to develop nuclear weapons.From its inception in 1951 until its voluntary dismantling in 1982, Ajahadya had a secret program intended to develop both nuclear weapons as well as an indigenous ballistic missile system capable of mounting nuclear warheads. The program, following numerous financial overruns and technical issues, in addition to the interruption of the Third Satrian War was formally confirmed and discontinued in 1984 shortly before the creation of ROSPO with the Atomic Energy Commission being allowed full access to the program's dismantlement and annual inspections of Ajahadya's nuclear program to ensure it remains used for peaceful purposes only.
Ajahadya has a policy of strategic ambiguity in regards to its possession of biological weapons and chemical weapons, neither having confirmed its possession of them or denied it. Arthakhandi reports indicate that Ajahadya used chemical weapons extensively during the Third Satrian War, and has, according to one Euclean professor, 'the most knowledgeable military regarding the use and effectiveness of deployment of chemical weapons on the battlefield.' Ajahadya is believed to possess extensive stockpiles of both by multiple Euclean intelligence agencies, but estimates on both the size and composition of its arsenal varies between estimations.
Ajahadya | |
---|---|
Nuclear program start date | 1951 |
First nuclear weapon test | None |
First fusion weapon test | None |
Last nuclear test | None |
Largest yield test | None |
Total tests | 0 |
Peak stockpile | 0 |
Current stockpile | None; the programme was voluntarily discontinued in 1984 with facilities being dismantled under Atomic Energy Commission supervision. |
Maximum range | 1,900 kilometres (1,200 mi) Tira-I MRBM |
Treaty of Shanbally Signatory | Yes |
In compliance with Atomic Energy Commission? | Yes |
Nuclear Weapons
In the early 1950s, in the aftermath of the First Satrian War following the death of Mohan Balchandra, his successor, Jalander Sarai, declared in a 1951 Union Defence Council meeting that 'Satria must possess all weapons necessary to defend itself against her enemies, both near and far' which is widely believed to be the first indication of the start of development of nuclear weapons in Ajahadya.
The program, begun in 1951 and ended in 1982, is widely regarded by nuclear scholars as a textbook example of 'how not to run a nuclear weapons program', and has been labeled as the 'least successful nuclear weapons program in history'. Nishant Balchandra, in a 1999 interview on the program, admitted that the program had been 'a colossal waste of time and money and one of the greatest policy failures of any Ajahadyan government.'
Ajahadya's nuclear program was centered around the Svaragni Nuclear Research Laboratory, built in 1951 as the home for Ajahadya's nuclear research and housing Ajahadya's first nuclear reactor, intended for research purposes. This reactor reached output levels of 2MW in 1955 and 4MW in 1964. The Svaragni Radiological Research Facility was constructed from 1964 to 1973, intended to refine yellowcake, produce fuel for nuclear reactors and reprocess plutonium from spent nuclear fuel from the Svaragni Labratory's reactor. A large building was also constructed at the Svaragni complex in 1967 and is believed to have been a gaseous diffusion plant for uranium enrichment. The delays in the construction of the Svaragni Radiological Research Facility and increasing costs, plus Ajahadyan military superiority in the Second Satrian War lessened the Ajahadyan leadership's enthusiasm for the nuclear project, while the death of Jalander Sarai in 1966 meant the project lost its most prominent supporter.
A reactor intended for the large-scale production of plutonium was begun in 1972, but the outbreak of the Third Satrian War put Ajahadya's nuclear program on hold, with funding being redirected to purchases of conventional weaponry instead. The reactor's construction site was destroyed by a Arthastani airstrike in 1974, drastically setting back Ajahadya's program. By 1978, with the loss of Lower Prasumidesa to Arthasthan and with its military greatly reduced, Ajahadya's nuclear program was effectively defunct from lack of funds and political will to continue with the program. The death of Arjuna Kalsarah in 1981 marked the effective end of the program, as his successor Nishant Balchandra announced the program's existence in 1982 following the foundation of ROSPO and asked the Atomic Energy Commission to observe Ajahadya's then current nuclear facilities during their demilitarisation.
Since 1984, although Ajahadya has cooperated with Shangea on nuclear matters, the Atomic Energy Commission has been allowed full access annually to inspect Ajahadya's nuclear facilities to verify that they are only intended for peaceful purposes. Ajahadya signed the Treaty of Shanbally in 1985. The Svaragni Nuclear Research Laboratory's reactor with Shangean assistance was upgraded to an output of 8MW in 1988. The reactor was dismantled in 2000, with a replacement 10 MW light-water reactor, along with the construction of a new activation analysis laboratory and a new medical isotope production laboratory, being finished by 2006. The Svaragni Radiological Research Facility and Svaragni Nuclear Research Laboratory both remain operational, and the Atomic Energy Commission conducts regular inspections of the facilities.
Biological Weapons
Ajahadya's biological weapons program is believed to have begun in 1981, shortly after the death of Arjuna Kalasarah and the ascension of Nishant Balchandra to the position of President, with the intention of providing a deterrent against further conflicts. The program is believed to be ongoing as of 2019, and to have investigated a minimum of nine bacterial strains, three fungal strains, seven types of virus, and six types of toxin for weaponisation. Equipment to produce biological weapons was likely obtained through the use of Ajahadya's State Ministry for Agricultural Research purchasing equipment from Euclea in the 1980s, and the National Health Bureau providing samples of Bacillus anthracis, Bashurat Fever, Clostridium botulinum, Brucella melitensis, Clostridium perfringens and Rotavirus, originally intended for medical research, to the program.
Research is believed to have been set up at the Nadira Biological Research Laboratory and the Banabadura Experimental Chemical Laboratory in 1982, with a production center located at the Phata Weapons Production Plant constructed in 1984. It is believed the Phata Weapons Production Plant has produced and weaponised into rockets, missiles and artillery shells at least 10,000 liters of concentrated botulinum toxin, 6,600 liters of concentrated anthrax and 4,200 liters of aflatoxin since the start of production in 1986 with an unknown quantity in unweaponised stocks. It is unknown where these armaments are stored in peacetime, and no records of their use in conflict has been confirmed by international observers.
Chemical Weapons
Ajahadya's chemical weapons program is believed to have started in 1972 and have been primarily funded with funding redirected from the nuclear program. Given the speed of development, it is widely believed, but not confirmed, that an Ajahadyan chemical weapons program may have been running since as early as 1952 but was drastically underfunded due to running in parallel with the then more promising Ajahadyan nuclear program. The program is widely believed to have begun under the cover of a pesticide plant at Lalapula constructed in the 1950s which the program used to purchase a chlorine plant and other vital pieces of equipment prior to 1972 that were swiftly repurposed to the production of chemical weapons.
By 1975, the chemical weapons program, believed to be based at the Chakki Experimental Chemical Laboratory with production at the nearby Chakki Pesticide Complex, was able to produce mustard gas which saw extensive use by Ajahadyan forces in the Third Satrian War against a superiorly equipped Arthasthani army throughout the rest of the war. By 1978, the facility was producing nerve agents such as sarin and tabun which saw limited use in the final year of the Third Satrian War. It is the opinion of some scholars of the war that the only reason Ajahadya did not lose the Third Satrian War is through the contributions made by the scientists at Chakki in the development of chemical weapons. It is believed that the chemical weapons program did not end with the war's end, and that VX entered production in the early 1980s.
Ajahadya is estimated to possess at a minimum 2,000 tons of mustard gas, 300 tons of Tabun, 800 tons of Sarin and 200 tons of VX, with maximum estimates at 3,000 tons of mustard gas, 800 tons of Tabun, 1000 tons of Sarin and 700 tons of VX.