India lags behind Pakistan in nuclear armoury: US expert

[S_O_C_O_M]

India lags behind Pakistan in nuclear armoury: US expert​

Sachin Parashar, TNN, Aug 8, 2010, 01.45am IST


NEW DELHI: The nuclear information director of Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Hans M Kristensen, has sought to settle the debate on India and Pakistan's nuclear arsenal by declaring that Pakistan doesn't only have more warheads and fissile material but also better delivery systems for such weapons.

Referring to a report in TOI last week, he said that India might again be discovering that Pakistan has a few more nuclear weapons than India. ``As far as I can gauge, apart from nuclear testing where India started first, Pakistan has always been a little ahead in warheads, fissile material and delivery systems,'' said Kristensen in his latest write-up for FAS.

The TOI report was based on a study carried out by Kristensen and Robert Norris which said that, apart from Pakistan having more nuclear warheads, it had fissile material for 90 more warheads. India, it said, had fissile material for 60-105 warheads.

Kristensen, however, went on to say that neither country can claim any nuclear moral high ground. ``Both are increasing their nuclear arsenals, both are producing more fissile material for nuclear weapons, and both are diversifying the means to deliver nuclear weapons and extending their range,'' he said. As per his latest estimate, while India has 60-80 warheads, Pakistan has 70-90.

``The two countries are now at a warhead level about equal to that of Israel (80 warheads). But whereas it took Israel 40 years to reach that level, India and Pakistan have done so in only 12 years. And they're apparently not done,'' he added.

Kristensen is also co-author of the `Nuclear Notebook' column in the `Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists', which claims to be the most accurate source of information on nuclear weapons and weapon facilities available to the public, and the `World Nuclear Forces' overview in the SIPRI Yearbook.

According to Kristensen, Indian and Pakistani security will probably be served better by trying soon to define just how big a nuclear force is sufficient for minimum deterrence so that "prudent planning" doesn't take them to a new and more dangerous level.

Although neither government wants to say so publicly, India and Pakistan are in effect in a nuclear arms race. It might not be of the intensity of the Cold War arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States, but it is a race nonetheless for capability and systems,'' he said.



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ear-armoury-US-expert/articleshow/6271845.cms

 

[linkinpark]

I think Pakistan can sleep soundly now that they know Pakistan has more nukes and better delivery systems.

By the way what is the source for this absolute rubbish.

 

[FreekiN]

I think Pakistan can sleep soundly now that they know Pakistan has more nukes and better delivery systems.

By the way what is the source for this absolute rubbish.

Your own media, which has reported the same thing plenty of times.

IOW, your media is rubbish.

 

[Pukhtoon]

I think Pakistan can sleep soundly now that they know Pakistan has more nukes and better delivery systems.

By the way what is the source for this absolute rubbish.

I can See The SMOKE

 

[gowthamraj]

^ the great times of India

 

[linkinpark]

Your own media, which has reported the same thing plenty of times.

IOW, your media is rubbish.

I agree, Times of India is rubbish. People refer to it TOIlet news. More sensational, less of facts.

 

[Future Weapon]

may be india is weaker than Pakistan but who exactly know the no. of nuclear warheads........

 

[airuah]

Indians are really damn good in making sure they are always underestimated.....besides stuff like these will keep the worlds attention on pakistan...pakistani's feel proud ("yey!!!!we have nukes")of news like these while the indians get away from negative world opinion....(always keep the world focused on your enemy)-as pakistanis here would call it----chanakaya policy.


common if there is a new that somalia has more nukes and better delivary sysyems that pakistan- where do you think the world attention will fall?----somalia

 

[saurabh]

Was just doing some interesting calculations.

Lets consider the news correct. Pakistan has 90 warheads and India has 60.
Indian area - 3,287,263 sq km. That is Pakistan has 1 bomb for every 36525 sq km of Indian land.
Pakistani area - 803,940 sq km. Meaning India has one warhead for 13400 sq km of Pakistani land. Also, Indian warheads also include fusion bombs!

 

[alibaz]

may be india is weaker than Pakistan but who exactly know the no. of nuclear warheads........

I dont know whats the purpose of this article.
I think Mr Krestien was invited by Pakistan and India to have comparison of their delivery systems and count their war heads cause they cant count themselves. .
A ton of radioactive material tipped on Shaheen or Agni, it falls a km ahead or short of target it will be equally devastating.
I think such type of hype creators must not be sponsored.

 

[G W A D A R I]

I agree, Times of India is rubbish. People refer to it TOIlet news. More sensational, less of facts.

Oh dear, dont get angry......for your satisfaction let me confess..... Pakistan has less nukes than India. Happy.

 

[TOPGUN]

I think Pakistan can sleep soundly now that they know Pakistan has more nukes and better delivery systems.

By the way what is the source for this absolute rubbish.

And why is it rubbish? don't let your hate come over reality if this is true which to my belive it is and from i have heard from others in the Pak armed forces again overall this is nothing good for both nations while pushing a button both nations will be finished so just hope it never happens.

 

[BATMAN]

Why suddenly the need for propogating such facts over and again?
Is it not comming into news quite regularly these days?
All i know is india had been offered nuclear technology by NPT signatory states, while Pakistan's missile development programme is all quite!

 

[prototype]

complete bull$hit

since neither nation have never disclosed the number of warheads how can anyone determine

Here is an another piece of article which Pakistanis will like to see

A report by David Albright, published by the Institute for Science and International Security in 2000, estimated that India at end of 1999 had 310 kilograms of weapon grade plutonium, enough for 65 nuclear weapons. He also estimated that India had 4,200 kg of reactor grade plutonium which is enough to build 1,000 nuclear weapons. By the end of 2004, he estimates India had 445 kilograms of weapon grade plutonium which is enough for around 85 nuclear weapons considering 5 kg of plutonium required for each weapon

India's and Pakistan's Fissile Material and Nuclear Weapons Inventories, end of 1999

so u can still keep bragging about ur better delivery system's and warheads,what i feel is we should not more than 5 nuclear warheads,that will b enough for finishing every inch of pakistan

As far as delivery system is concerned we dont need to develop a new variant of agni-2 for Pakistan,agni is too costly missile to b wasted on Pakistan,just our old Prithvi's r enough,since they dont even have any ABM tech in development,we dont need to waste too much money on them

 

[alibaz]

Was just doing some interesting calculations.

Lets consider the news correct. Pakistan has 90 warheads and India has 60.
Indian area - 3,287,263 sq km. That is Pakistan has 1 bomb for every 36525 sq km of Indian land.
Pakistani area - 803,940 sq km. Meaning India has one warhead for 13400 sq km of Pakistani land. Also, Indian warheads also include fusion bombs!

Can anyone out of us afford one single warhead in our area. I think both nations have a lot to lose in such like situation. Who will win in this situation, I leave up to your imagination.