Status of Nuclear Powers and Their Nuclear Capabilities |
Introduction |
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SummaryNagasaki University's Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition released its latest report on 13 June 2018, based on information gathered from governments and research institutes around the world. The center estimates there were about 14,450 nuclear warheads worldwide at the beginning of this month. That's down 450 from a year earlier. The center believed Russia and the US had 6,850 and 6,450 warheads. The Center's estimates ignore US and Russian tactical nuclear weapons, and assume the low-end estimated stockpiles of other countries are for the most part in storage. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute figures from January 2018, Russia and the US have the largest nuclear stockpiles, with 6,850 and 6,450 nuclear warheads, respectively, with France, China, the UK, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea having access to 300, 280, 215, 140-150, 130-140, 80 and 10-20 nukes, respectively. This table is a book-end "worst case" alternative to thse estimates.
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What is to be Done??
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Weapons |
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Stockpile |
3,822 |
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Deliverable |
2,685 |
5,497 |
160 |
300 |
275 |
275 |
220 |
100 |
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ICBM |
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Delivery |
400 + 50 |
311 |
65 |
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Nuclear |
400 + 50 |
1,050 |
335 |
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Type |
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IRBM, MRBM |
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Delivery Systems |
170 |
100 |
70 |
100 |
100 |
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Nuclear |
75 |
100 |
+50 |
65 |
?? |
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Type |
DF-4: 10 DF-21: 80 DF-26: 80 |
Jericho 1 : 50 Jericho 2 : 50 |
Prithvi : 70 Agni : 20 |
15 x Hatf-6 / Shaheen-II 50 x Hatf-5 / Ghauri |
ND-1 : 100 |
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SLBM |
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Delivery Systems |
280 |
240 |
64 |
64 |
72 |
24 |
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Nuclear |
1,260 |
1,049 |
160 |
384 |
288 |
24 |
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Type |
Trident-2: 64 |
JL-2 : 72
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Popeye : 24 |
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SSBN |
Ohio : 14 |
Vanguard : 4 |
Inflexible : 0 Triomphant : 4 |
Jin-SSBN : 6
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Dolphin : 3 |
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Heavy Bombers |
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Delivery Systems |
60 [208] |
78 |
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Nuclear |
~850 [~2,000] |
800 |
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Type |
B-2: 19 [21] B-1B: 0 [93] B-52: 41 [94] |
Tu-95H6: 28 Tu-95H16: 35 Tu-160: 15 |
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Theater Bombers |
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Delivery Systems |
471 |
54 |
150 |
- |
400 |
143 |
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Nuclear |
150 B61 = NATO ? 25 B61 = USN |
?500 | 54 |
??? 50 |
75 |
+50 |
10 |
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Type |
F-15 F-16 F-18 |
Air Force Tu-22M: 100 Su-24 : 371 Navy Tu-22M: 58 Su-24 : 58 |
Rafale : 30 M2000N : 30 Etendard : 0 |
H-6 : 120 Q-5 : 30 |
F-4 F-16 |
MiG-27 : 147 Jaguar : 88 M2000 : 35 Su-30 : 30 |
A-5: 49 Mirage III : 16 Mirage 5: 52 F-16: 25 |
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Other Theater and Tactical Nuclear Weapons |
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Nuclear |
2,120 | ???? 50 |
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Type |
AF SAMs Navy: aircraft missiles torpedoes |
DF-11 DF-15 artillery ADM |
artillery ADM |
Hatf-2 / Ababil Hatf-3 / Ghaznavi Hatf-4 / Shaheen-I |
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In June 2016 SIPRI defined "operationally deployed nuclear weapons" as warheads "placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces". At that time, SIPRI judged that China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea had no operationally deployed nuclear weapons. SIPRI's estimate of "deployed" nuclear weapons for the US and Russia is about half the number typically assesed as "deliverable". In the late 1940s the United Stated initially retained civilian control of nuclear weapons, but the Department of Defense acquired control of the US arsenal after the beginning of the Korean War. More recently, arms control advocates have proposed de-alerting nuclear forces, and storing nuclear weapons separately from their delivery systems. Neither of these rationales would appear applicable to the five countries identified by SIPRI. |
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