bX ARCHIVE 30 November 2001 MID-227-0f-$CI Mu 1 w u The unauthorized disclosure of classified Information may be prosecuted under SectIon 793 and SectIon 798 Thie 18 USC and is punishable by tine of not more than $10 000 Imprisonment of not more than 10 years of both Ii 1i 1JL UI1I I 30 Novsmber 2001 6’flraq Procuring Possible Nuclear-Rela1ed Gas Centrifuge Equipment fb 1 t 4 Cc x1 I 4 cc b 1 1 4 JLIC In the past year Iraq has Increased efforts througi a network of front companies to acquire I lspecialized aluminum tubes that it could use to con struct gas centrifuge rotors If Baghdad acquires the tubes it could in 5 to 7 years fabricate a centrifuge cascade able to produce enough highly enriched uranium er year tor C Aluminum Tubes SEClEr lNOFORN b 1 1 4 t C fl From 1986 to 1991 Iraq’s early attempts to produce enriched uranium through gas centrifuges concentrated on more carbon composite rotors and maraging steel sophisticated technology than the aluminum wbes However Iraq seeks to develop highly enriched uranium no matter the level of technology and by any means — • Open Tube Crate Detained by Jordanian Authorities The 7075 T-6 aluminum tubes could be used for gas centrifuges that enrich uranium for nuclear weapons X2 MID supplement I TOP SECRETF __ ORCON NOfORN X1 V V4 mr 30 Nov6mber 2007 Conventional Military U#s Unlikely tot Aluminum Tubes Despite the possibility that thes aluminum bes could be for conventional rocket uses a review of rocket motor bodies and launch tubes shows such uses are unlikely Although 7075 T-6 aluminum could be an acceptable metal for small rocket motor bodies I make these particular tubes poor choices for rocket motor bodies b 1 I 4 c b t 1V3 Cc J V V fbXl 1 4 c ‘ V — V h 1 1 4 c - ‘ V V ‘V VjThe 0 1 -mm metal thickness tolerance along the 900-mm length is xccssive for both rocket motor bodies and rocket launch tubes F •7 The solid-propellant grain carried inside the body would not require a surface as straight and smooth as that of the aluminum tubes Moreover a rocket launch tube does not need such tight manufacturing tolerances The rocket’s folding fins will cause slight wear on the inner wall as they fire If the launcher is reusable as all known multiple rocket launchers are the tight manufacturing tolerances arc not required A launcher firing spin-stabilized rockets no fins would cause similar wear to the launch tube h 1 1 4 Cc ‘ V V’ V - - ‘ V ‘ - V — ‘ •V V V’ V b 1 1 4 C 1iSIJI Iraqi Centrifuges Used in One Method of Uranium Enrichment These centrifuges used for uranium enrichment were found in Iraq after the Gulf War 2 iOt OEOflET 2 Supplement MID V -t a Tat aton 30 November 2007 Gas Centritiges UNCLASSIFIED Gas Centrifuge - TaIia Magnetic _Bearlng and Damping Assembly Rotating Baffle b-Molecular Pump Rotor_ tottom ScooF El Needle and Damping A I I Bellows The centrifuge operates on a basic principle of centrifugal force which separates the fissionable U-235 for weapons use from the heavier U-238 Gaseous uranium hexafluoride LJF6 is fed into a centrifuge that spins at high speed inside a casing The resulting centrifugal effect forces the UF6 gas into a thin layer next to the rotor wall Centrifugal force also moves the heavier zaUF6 molecules closer to the wall thai it does the lighter 5UF5 motecules Because of the small amount of enrichment and small quantity flowing throughput producing one or two weapons’ worth of highly enriched uranium a year typically requires a plant with several thousand centrifuges operating nearly full time The resultant 90-percent U-235 product is a common fissile material for nuclear weapons -Armature • • I — Stator Power Supply Iraqi Nuclear Program Iraq does not have the infrastructure to support Saddam Husayn’s nuclear aspiradons but the country’s procurement efforts suggest an intent to reconstitute the pre-GuIf War nuclear weapon program Since the end of UN Special Commission intrusive monitoring in 1998 Laq has increased its procurement efforts for dual-use items Moreover the Iraqis havr the expertise to reconstitute a nuclear weapons program and they have retained some key nonfissile materials and equipment Some scientists involved in the country’s nuclear weapon program before Operation DESERT STORM most likely are working on low-level theoretical design and research projects I L’ Baghdad probably would need foreign assistance and at least 5 years from the start of a major effort to produce fissile material for one weapon However Iraq could develop a crude weapon within 1 year if it acquired sufficient weapons-grade fissile material from a foreign source bX2 MID Supplement ‘ 3 —-- — — ‘I i ar 1 at i1-bX2 30 November2001 bXI 1 4 c Assessment ‘ i Since mid-2000 Iraq has ’ cried to procure at leasti______ 7075 T-6 aluminum tubes in violation of UN Sanctions and despite great international pressure against such procurement bXI 1 4 fc Although alternative uses for these tubes are possible such as rocket motor cases or rocket launch tubes the specifications are consistent with earlier Iraqi gas cen trifuge rotor designs The specified tolerances for the tubes are extremely high The high grade rigid aluminum tube properties would allow the tubes to operate at high speeds as centrifuge rotors and anodization would protect against damage from the highly reactive properties of uranium hexafluoride gas If Baghdad procures most of these tubes it could in 5 to 7 years fabricate a centrifuge cascade able to produce enough highly enriched uranium foil year bXl 1 4 c b12 b f3 1O USC 424 4 Tot bX2 Supplement MID bXI I bxz MAM mm WIW