India Builds 30 New Nuclear Weapons, Expands Its Nuclear Shield!

New Delhi: The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has released its latest estimate regarding India's nuclear weapons. According to the report, India may have about 190 assembled nuclear weapons. Of these, more than 160 weapons are said to be linked to delivery systems that are currently active. However, the Indian government does not make public the official numbers of its nuclear weapons stockpile, so these figures are based on external estimates.

Estimated to be around 190 nuclear weapons?

Organisations such as FAS typically estimate the number of nuclear weapons based on publicly available information, satellite imagery, missile deployments, and other signals. The report says that India's total stockpile of nuclear weapons may be around 190. More than 160 of these weapons are linked to systems that are believed to be active.

According to the report, India has prepared more weapons than the number of launchers it has. This means that some additional warheads are earmarked for missiles that are currently in production or in various stages of development.

Are Missiles like Agni-Prime and K-4 included?

The FAS assessment covers a wide variety of missiles and delivery systems in India's nuclear weapons programme. These include new generation missiles like Agni-Prime as well as sea-launched missiles like K-4.

According to experts, it is not unusual for nuclear weapons production to begin before the delivery systems are fully ready. The purpose of this is to ensure that when a new missile or other delivery system enters service, the weapons for it are already available.

What is the strategic meaning of additional weapons?

The FAS estimates that additional nuclear warheads may be stored for new missiles and other delivery systems to be added in the future. The report describes it as part of India's strategy to maintain its nuclear deterrence.

In the event of war or tension, it may be necessary to make launchers and weapons available rapidly. In such a situation, additional weapons already prepared can strengthen strategic preparations. However, this does not mean that all weapons are deployed at all times.

Is India's no-first-use policy also important?

No-First-Use (NFU) policy holds an important place in India's nuclear strategy. India has not conducted new nuclear tests since the 1998 nuclear tests and has not changed its stated stance.

The report also underlined that India is gradually modernizing its nuclear capability. New systems are being developed to strengthen the ability to deliver nuclear weapons by land, sea and air.

However, this FAS figure is not an official Indian figure. The Indian government does not publicly declare the actual number of its nuclear weapons. The estimate of 190 weapons is therefore based on available public information and expert assessments.