India Has 190 Nuclear Warheads, Says US Think Tank

By Shakir Husain

HYDERABAD, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- India is estimated to have assembled 190 nuclear warheads and continues to modernise its arsenal, according to a report by United States (US) think tank Federation of American Scientists (FAS).

The report titled “India's Nuclear Weapons 2026” said the estimates were based on analysis of a combination of open sources, including non-state and state-originating data, since the Indian government does not publish numbers about the size of its nuclear weapon stockpile.

“We estimate that India may have produced enough military plutonium for 140 to 225 nuclear warheads and might have assembled up to 190.

“With more weapon systems in development, the country's warhead stockpile will likely increase further,” the report authored by FAS Nuclear Information Project director Hans Kristensen and three others said.

India is one of a few countries believed to be producing both highly enriched uranium (HEU) and weapons-grade plutonium, they noted.

“India continues to modernise its nuclear weapons arsenal and operationalise its nascent triad. We estimate that India currently operates nine different nuclear-capable systems: two aircraft, six land-based ballistic missiles, and one sea-based ballistic missile,” the report said.

-- BERNAMA