How big is India's nuclear arsenal? New estimate puts warhead count at 190, and it is likely to go up
A detailed report by the US-based Federation of American Scientists indicates that India is significantly expanding and modernising its nuclear arsenal
India is actively expanding its nuclear capabilities, with a recent Federation of American Scientists (FAS) report indicating an increase in warhead production and modernization of delivery systems. The FAS estimates India possesses over 160 operational nuclear warheads and is producing additional ones for new missile platforms, with projections suggesting a total of around 190 warheads produced. This strategic growth encompasses not only an augmented warhead stockpile but also the development and deployment of advanced nuclear-capable aircraft, land-based, and sea-based delivery systems.
India is actively expanding its nuclear capabilities, with a recent Federation of American Scientists (FAS) report indicating an increase in warhead production and modernization of delivery systems. The FAS estimates India possesses over 160 operational nuclear warheads and is producing additional ones for new missile platforms, with projections suggesting a total of around 190 warheads produced. This strategic growth encompasses not only an augmented warhead stockpile but also the development and deployment of advanced nuclear-capable aircraft, land-based, and sea-based delivery systems.
India is actively expanding its nuclear capabilities, with a recent Federation of American Scientists (FAS) report indicating an increase in warhead production and modernization of delivery systems. The FAS estimates India possesses over 160 operational nuclear warheads and is producing additional ones for new missile platforms, with projections suggesting a total of around 190 warheads produced. This strategic growth encompasses not only an augmented warhead stockpile but also the development and deployment of advanced nuclear-capable aircraft, land-based, and sea-based delivery systems.
India is continuing to expand its nuclear arsenal by increasing the number of warheads and modernising the systems capable of delivering these weapons.
Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a US nonprofit policy think tank, in a recent report, said India has more than 160 warheads for operational launchers, and the country is also producing additional warheads meant for new missiles.
FAS used analysis of open-source information, state-originating data and commercial satellite imagery to derive at the conclusions. "Based on available public information about its nuclear-capable delivery force structure and strategy, we estimate that India may have produced around 190 nuclear warheads," FAS Nuclear Information Project Director Hans Kristensen wrote in an article titled 'India's Nuclear Weapons 2026'.
The report indicates that India's nuclear expansion is not limited to increasing the number of warheads.
The country is also modernising the systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Several new weapon systems have been fielded in recent years, and others remain under development to complement or replace existing nuclear-capable aircraft and land- and sea-based delivery systems.
FAS estimates that India may have produced enough military plutonium for between 140 and 225 nuclear warheads and could have assembled as many as 190. "With more weapon systems in development, the country's warhead stockpile will likely increase further," the article said.
The size of India's future nuclear arsenal would also depend on the number and types of launchers available to deliver the weapons, as the article said it was unlikely that India would produce significantly more warheads than its delivery systems could launch.
As of the beginning of 2026, the International Panel on Fissile Materials estimated that India had produced approximately 730 kg, plus or minus around 170 kg, of weapon-grade plutonium, according to the article.
Assuming around four kilogrammes of plutonium for each warhead, the quantity could theoretically be sufficient to produce between 140 and 225 nuclear warheads.
However, the article cautioned that there are uncertainties surrounding such calculations, including the types of warhead designs India has produced.
It also noted that India is unlikely to have used its entire stock of military plutonium for producing nuclear weapons and may have retained some of it in reserve.
The article said India's 1998 nuclear tests reliably validated a fission design, while the country's progress on boosted fission and thermonuclear weapon designs remains highly uncertain.