5f, There is no reason to doubt the broadJy accepteC conclusion that South Africais capable of constructing a first generation fission weapon of moderately soFhisticated. aesign. B!/ Not onty is a great deal of formerly classifiedinfornation concerning the princilles and design of fission weapons non availablein the open literature) 81/ but there al-so is a consid.erable poof of trained personnel I',Iithin South Africa's nucl-ear estabfishment. In addition. the associated technj.cal shills necessary for building a nuclear veapon, in such areas as naterials hand.ling, precision nachining, high explosive teclmology, and metallurgv )could be drawn from South Africars mining, engineering and construction, conventional explosives and arms, chemieal, and. uraniurn proeessing inclustries.Further, as indicated by the successfu-l design, engineering and in:plementationof such large industrial projects as South Africars enrichment project and its synthetic fuels proJect, organizational skills required for carrying out major projects also are avail.abJ-e in that country. 5?, Any estinate of hov l-ong after having developed a fission or atomic ',reapon it night take South Africa to d.esign and build a fusion or thermonuclear r.reapon are ,hi6h-Ly uncertain. The design principles of a therrLonuclear device are not nidely Lnol,'n. Hbvever, it is generalll. acknovledged that a fission clevice. lresumablv tested., has to be used as a trigger. Furthermore, the engineering r materials handling, and fabrication requirements are considerably more conplex than those for fissi.on weapons. 82/ The experience of the first five acknowledged. nuclear- weapon States illustrates this uncertaintyl the mmber of years taken after the initial d-etonation of a fission device to develop thermonuclear ffealons ranged fron tlEee to eight years, For that reason rapid acquisi.tion of thermonucleal rrealrons by a South Africa with nucl-ear potentiat is not to be tahen for granted. D. Yee!€.-!I--g9lir9rx ,3. South Africa a.Iready possesses a variety of suitable delivery systems" mostfy high performance aircraft. For example, its l{irage FIs" llirafie TTIS. Canberras,
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing South Africa's nuclear capabilities and potential to develop nuclear weapons, highlighting the country's technical expertise, infrastructure, and resources. The discussion focuses on the feasibility of constructing a first-generation fission weapon and the possibility of developing a thermonuclear device in the future. The text also mentions the country's existing delivery systems for nuclear weapons.

**Category**
Science and technology, Industry