Army should be confident of N-arsenal: Kakodkar

NEW DELHI: Army should be fully confident as there is no doubt about the nuclear arsenal at their command, former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman
Anil Kakodkar has said seeking to put at rest questions raised over the efficacy of the country's hydrogen bomb test.

"I think that is guaranteed. Army should be fully confident. There is no doubt about the arsenal at their command," he said to a private news channel.

Kakodkar, who retired from service on November 30, was asked about former Army chief V P Malik's remarks that nuclear scientists should assure the armed forces about the efficacy of the thermonuclear device.

He ruled out the need for further thermonuclear tests and said the country has several hydrogen bombs with a yield "much more" than 45 kilo tons.

"Of course. Why do you put singular, use plural?" he shot back when asked whether India had a thermonuclear bomb.

"Much more than that. I said from up to low kilotons to 200 kilotons," Kakodkar said when asked whether the hydrogen bomb has a yield of 45 kilo tons.

Kakodkar dismissed former DRDO scientist K Santhanam's claims over the success of the 1998 thermonuclear tests saying it would not be correct to assume that he (the defence scientist) knew everything.