The feasibility of using the He‐&agr; line of Cu XXVIII at 8.394 keV to pump the 8.410‐keV nuclear transition from the ground level to the (3/2)+ level in169Tm is examined using a collisional‐radiative‐equilibrium plasma atomic model. Numerical calculations of the He‐&agr; line power output are presented for various density, temperature, and size conditions for both laser‐imploded andZ‐pinch plasmas. The interplay between the density, opacity broadening, and the radiating surface area in overcoming the 16 eV difference in transition energies is analyzed.