India currently has 520 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium

[Adnan Faruqi]

India currently has 520 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium


New Delhi, July 25, IRNA -- India is not converting all its weapons-grade plutonium into war heads but it currently has 80 to 100 nuclear warheads for its emerging Triad of air-, land-, and sea-based nuclear-capable delivery vehicles.

India is estimated to have produced approximately 520 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium, sufficient for 100 to 130 atomic warheads; however, not all of the material has been converted into warheads, a pti report said quoting Director of the Nuclear Information Project Hans Kristensen and senior fellow for Nuclear Policy Robert S Norris wrote in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Based on available information, Kristensen and Norris estimate that India currently has 80 to 100 nuclear warheads for its emerging Triad of air-, land-, and sea-based nuclear-capable delivery vehicles.

'It will need more warheads to arm the new missiles it is currently developing,' they claimed.

'In addition to the Dhruva plutonium production reactor near Mumbai, India plans to construct a second reactor near Visakhapatnam, on the east coast. India is building an unsafeguarded prototype fast-breeder reactor at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research near Kalpakkam, which will significantly increase India's plutonium production capacity once it becomes operational,' they wrote.

They said India's drive to develop a nuclear triad proceeds apace, with New Delhi developing or deploying several weapon systems to realize its goal of achieving offensive nuclear forces on land, at sea, and in the air.

'India took a significant step forward with the successful test-launch of the Agni V ballistic missile on April 19, 2012. With a range reportedly greater than 5,000 kilometers, the Agni V can reach any target in China; however, the missile needs more testing and is still several years away from operational deployment,' they said.

Though India possesses nuclear weapons and maintains short-and- intermediate-range ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable aircraft, surface ships, and submarines under development as possible delivery systems and platforms, but India has a declared nuclear no-first-use policy and is in the process of developing a nuclear doctrine based on 'credible minimum deterrence.” In August 1999, the Indian government released a draft of the doctrine which asserts that nuclear weapons are solely for deterrence and that India will pursue a policy of 'retaliation only'. The document also maintains that India 'will not be the first to initiate a nuclear first strike, but will respond with punitive retaliation should deterrence fail' and that decisions to authorize the use of nuclear weapons would be made by the Prime Minister or his 'designated successor(s).''

India’s first nuclear test occurred on 18 May 1974. Since then India has conducted another series of tests at the Pokhran test range in the state of Rajasthan in 1998.

http://www.irna.ir/News/Politic/‘India-currently-has-80-to-100-nuke-warheads’,-Report/80245630

India has 80 to 100 nuclear warheads: US experts - World News - IBNLive

100 nuclear warheads + 520 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium, sufficient for 100 to 130 atomic warheads = 230 nukes capacity as of today.

And it will increase with the every day with the existing plutonium production facility and it will get a very big boost with the completion of 2 new plutonium production reactors.

 

[Skull and Bones]

Where are those fellas arguing with me about this fact couple of days back?

@Abingdonboy, Where art thou?

India, at current capacity, can add weapon grade plutonium for 25-30 nuclear warhead of >50kt per year.

 

[Adnan Faruqi]

Where are those fellas arguing with me about this fact couple of days back?

@Abingdonboy, Where art thou?

India, at current capacity, can add weapon grade plutonium for 25-30 nuclear warhead of >50kt per year.

You are right we can build 25-30 nukes each year with our existing capacity.

But what will happen when we will have 2 additional plutonium production reactors Kalpakkam + Visakhapatnam

We will be able to produce 100 nuclear weapons each year

And not to forget high yielding nukes not just light toys just to increase the number

 

[kaykay]

can someone shade light on India's current maximum nuclear yield?? I mean some years back It was said that India has ability to produce weapons of about 200kt....any further developments??
@Abingdonboy @Skull and Bones @illusion8 @Rajendra Chola

 

[Ghora]

I dont understand one thing. The report that India has 80-100 nukes has been doing round for a decade now. Why is so ? I first read about this way back in 2000-2002. So did India produced 80-100 weapons in 2000-2 and has been sleeping for this many years ? Or every one is quoting the same figures again and again ... the latest being CNN two weeks ago ???

My point is ... isnt such a case that India has ACTUALLY a lot no of nukes but they have got a lot secretive now ? And i hate conspiracies and my assumption is based on the fact that India had 80-100 nukes way back in 2000-2 itself. ?

 

[kaykay]

I dont understand one thing. The report that India has 80-100 nukes has been doing round for a decade now. Why is so ? I first read about this way back in 2000-2002. So did India produced 80-100 weapons in 2000-2 and has been sleeping for this many years ? Or every one is quoting the same figures again and again ... the latest being CNN two weeks ago ???

My point is ... isnt such a case that India has ACTUALLY a lot no of nukes but they have got a lot secretive now ? And i hate conspiracies and assumption is based on the fact that India had 80-100 nukes way back in 2000-2 itself. ?

IMO In 2002-2003 India had enough WGP to make around 100 weapons but It didn't use all to make those.....Though its true that current stockpile must have gone up from speculated 100.

 

[abhishekayyagari]

the indian scientists have definitive test data to create bombs up to 200-250kt .In the nuclear bomb design the capability to make high yealding bomb designs comes from the testing and test data .so a country can have a wepon design of yeald 1mn but it remains an untested design

 

[Matrixx]

Great info....how much time it takes to manufacture one atom bomb

 

[Ayush]

kam hai ya zaada??

 

[AADHAAR]

Great info....how much time it takes to manufacture one atom bomb

main time goes in preparing the fuel .. i.e. producing plutonium in a reactor or enriching uranium.

rest is largely routing industrial process (.. though some very fine machining of the fuel core is required).

 

[kaykay]

kam hai ya zaada??

enough of a deterrent..

 

[Skull and Bones]

kam hai ya zaada??

Enough for more than 200 bombs of yield around 50kt.

 

[Tangent]

kam hai ya zaada??

...with UPA..even 1000s will be less...(spineless leadership)..with NDA..even 2 are sufficient...

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

can someone shade light on India's current maximum nuclear yield?? I mean some years back It was said that India has ability to produce weapons of about 200kt....any further developments??
@Abingdonboy @Skull and Bones @illusion8 @Rajendra Chola

U got my name wrong. Kay Kay. My assumption is that, no organisation can know how many bombs another country can have. No one can predict.
Intelligence agencies would know, how many weapons a country will have, But they wont make them public.
Even they wont be sure of how many kg of weapons grade material each country will have.
So lets assume, its all assumption, and i hope India have more N weapons for its own safety.

 

[David James]

India needs 7-8 nukes for pakistan, 200 for china (supposing that about 100 will be able to penetrate chinese defense) and 40-50 as reserve.

So around 250 nukes of 200 kt will be enough.