India and weapons of mass destruction
India possesses nuclear weapons and previously developed chemical weapons. Although India has not released any official statements about the size of its nuclear arsenal, recent estimates suggest that India has 164 nuclear weapons and has produced enough weapons-grade plutonium for up to 200 nuclear weapons. In 1999, India was estimated to have 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) of separated reactor-grade plutonium, with a total amount of 8,300 kilograms (18,300 lb) of civilian plutonium, enough for approximately 1,000 nuclear weapons. India has conducted nuclear weapons tests in a pair of series namely Pokhran I and Pokhran II.
| Republic of India | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear programme start date | 1967 |
| First nuclear weapon test | 18 May 1974a |
| First fusion weapon test | 11 May 1998b |
| Most recent test | 13 May 1998 |
| Largest-yield test | 45 kilotons of TNT (190 TJ); Scale down of 200 kt model c |
| Number of tests to date | 4 (6 Devices fired) |
| Peak stockpile | 164 warheads (2023 estimate) |
| Current stockpile | 164 warheads (2023 estimate) |
| Maximum missile range | Agni-V - 7,000 to 8,000 kilometres 4,300 to 5,000 miles |
| NPT Party | No |
| |
India is a member of three multilateral export control regimes — the Missile Technology Control Regime, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group. It has signed and ratified the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. India is also a subscribing state to the Hague Code of Conduct. India has signed neither the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty nor the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, considering both to be flawed and discriminatory. India previously possessed chemical weapons, but voluntarily destroyed its entire stockpile in 2009 — one of the seven countries to meet the OPCW extended deadline.
India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy and has developed a nuclear triad capability as a part of its "Minimum Credible Deterrence" doctrine.