List of countries that own nuclear weapons. Doomsday weapons: what size is the “nuclear umbrella” of the countries of the world
North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental missile, but it is not the only country threatening the world with nuclear weapons
The US military believes that the latest missile launched by the DPRK belongs to the intercontinental class. Experts say that it is capable of reaching Alaska, which means it poses a direct threat to the United States.
"A Gift for the Yankees"
North Korea launched the Hwangsong-14 missile on the morning of Tuesday, July 4. On this day, America celebrates Independence Day. The rocket flew 933 km in 39 minutes - not far, but this is because it was launched very high. Highest point trajectory was located at a distance of 2,802 km above sea level.
The Hwangsong-14 rocket before launch. Photo: Reuters/KCNA
She fell into the sea between North Korea and Japan.
But if Pyongyang had a goal to attack any country, the missile would be capable of covering a distance of 7000-8000 km, which is enough to reach not only Japan, but also Alaska.
North Korea says it is capable of equipping its missile with a nuclear warhead. Nuclear weapons experts doubt whether Pyongyang has the this moment technology that would allow the production of fairly compact warheads.
However, the tests of Hwangsong-14 occurred earlier and were more successful than expected, an American expert from missile weapons John Schilling.
"Even if it's a missile with a range of 7,000 km, a missile with a range of 10,000 km that could hit New York is not a distant prospect," the head of the nuclear weapons nonproliferation program told The New York Times. East Asia Institute international studies Middlebury Geoffrey Lewis.
Approximate range of the Hwangsong-14 missile. Infographic: CNN
The launch demonstrated that no sanctions apply to the DPRK. On the contrary, threats only encourage the country's leader Kim Jong-un to continue to rattle his weapons and demonstrate the power of his arsenal.
After the tests, according to the State News Agency, he North Korea, said the US wouldn't like a "package of gifts for their Independence Day." Kim Jong-un ordered scientists and military personnel to “send large and small gift packages to the Yankees more often.”
China and Russia issued a joint statement calling on North Korea to stop its missile and nuclear program, and the United States and South Korea to refrain from conducting large-scale military exercises.
However, Washington did not heed the calls of Moscow and Beijing. On Wednesday morning, they carried out demonstration launches of Hyunmu II missiles, which are capable of hitting targets at a distance of 800 km.
Tensions are rising and the world is talking about nuclear war. However, North Korea is not the only country capable of starting it. Today, seven more countries officially have a nuclear arsenal. We can safely add Israel to them, although it has never officially admitted that it has nuclear weapons.
Russia is the leader in terms of quantity
The United States and Russia together own 93% of the world's nuclear arsenal.
Distribution of the world's nuclear arsenal. Infographic: Arms Control Association, Hans M. Kristensen, Robert S. Norris, U.S. Department of State
According to official and unofficial estimates, cumulatively Russian Federation has 7,000 nuclear weapons. These data are provided by the Stockholm international institute Peace Research (SIPRI) and American organization Arms Control Association.
According to data exchanged between the Russian Federation and the United States as part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, as of April 2017, Russia had 1,765 strategic warheads.
They are deployed on 523 long-range missiles, submarines and strategic bombers. But this is only about deployed, that is, ready-to-use nuclear weapons.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) estimates that Russia has approximately 2,700 non-deployed strategic, as well as deployed and non-deployed tactical warheads. In addition, 2,510 warheads are awaiting dismantlement.
Russia, as the site claims in a number of publications National Interest, is modernizing its nuclear weapons. And in some respects it was ahead of its main enemy - the United States.
It is at them that the power of the Russian military is mainly directed. nuclear potential. And Russian propagandists never tire of reminding us of this. The most striking in this matter was, of course, Dmitry Kiselev with his “nuclear ash”.
However, there are also opposing assessments, according to which the lion's share of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads are hopelessly outdated.
USA at a crossroads
In total, the Americans currently have 6,800 nuclear weapons. Of these deployed, according to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty as of April 2017, 1,411 are strategic warheads. They are deployed on 673 long-range missiles, submarines and strategic bombers.
FAS assumes that in addition the US has 2,300 non-deployed strategic warheads and 500 deployed and non-deployed tactical warheads. And another 2,800 warheads await dismantling.
With its arsenal, the United States threatens many adversaries, not only Russia.
For example, the same North Korea and Iran. However, according to many experts, it is outdated and needs modernization.
Interestingly, in 2010, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed the above-mentioned agreement on reducing strategic weapons, also known as "Fresh Start". But the same Obama stimulated the deployment of missile defense systems in the United States and Europe, his administration launched the process of developing and deploying new ground-based launchers for long-range missiles.
The Trump administration has plans to continue the process of modernizing weapons, including nuclear,
Nuclear Europe
Among the European countries, the only ones that have nuclear arsenals are France and Great Britain. The first is armed with 300 nuclear warheads. Most of of which is equipped to launch from submarines. France has four of them. A small amount of- for launch from the air, from strategic bombers.
The British have 120 strategic warheads. Of these, 40 are deployed at sea on four submarines. This is, in fact, the only kind nuclear weapons of the country - it has neither ground nor air force, armed with nuclear warheads.
In addition, the UK has 215 warheads stored at bases but not deployed.
Secret China
Since Beijing has never made public information about its nuclear arsenal, it can only be estimated. In June 2016, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists suggested that China has a total of 260 nuclear warheads. Also available information indicates that it increases their number.
China also has all three main methods of delivering nuclear weapons - ground-based, nuclear submarines and strategic bombers.
One of China's newest intercontinental ballistic missiles, Dongfeng-41 (DF41), was located near the border with Russia in January 2017. But in addition to difficult relations with Moscow, Beijing also has tense relations with neighboring India.
There is also an unconfirmed theory that China is helping North Korea develop its nuclear program.
Sworn neighbors
India and Pakistan, unlike the previous five countries, are developing their nuclear program outside the framework of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. At the same time, both countries have a long-standing enmity, regularly threaten each other with the use of force, and armed incidents regularly occur on the Indo-Pakistani border.
But in addition, they also have other conflicting relationships. For India it is China, and for Pakistan it is Israel.
Both countries do not hide the fact that they have nuclear programs, but their details are not publicly disclosed.
India is believed to have between 100 and 120 nuclear warheads in its inventory. The country is actively developing its arsenal. One of latest achievements began successful tests of intercontinental missiles "Agni-5" and "Agni-6", which are capable of delivering a warhead to a distance of 5000-6000 km.
At the end of 2016, India commissioned its first nuclear-powered submarine, the Arihant. It also plans to purchase from France 36 Rafale combat aircraft by 2019, capable of carrying nuclear weapon. The country currently has several older aircraft for this purpose - the French Mirage, the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar and the Russian Su-30.
Pakistan has between 110 and 130 nuclear warheads in its inventory. The country began to develop its nuclear program after India conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 1974. She is also in the process of expanding her arsenal.
Currently nuclear missiles Pakistan - short and medium range. There are rumors that he is developing the Taimur intercontinental missile with a range of 7,000 km. The country also intends to build its own nuclear submarine. And Pakistan's Mirage and F16 aircraft are rumored to have been modified to carry nuclear weapons.
Israel's deliberate ambiguity
SIPRI, FAS and other organizations that monitor the development of nuclear weapons in the world claim that Israel has 80 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. In addition, it has stockpiles of fissile material to manufacture an additional 200 warheads.
Israel, like India and Pakistan, has not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, thereby retaining the right to develop them. But unlike India and Pakistan, it has never announced its nuclear program and pursues a so-called policy of deliberate ambiguity on this issue.
In practice, this means that Israel never confirms or denies the assumption that it has nuclear weapons.
It is believed that Israel developed nuclear warheads in a secret underground plant located in the middle of the desert. It is also assumed that he has all three main means suitable for delivery: ground launchers, submarines and combat aircraft.
Israel is understandable. It is surrounded on all sides by states hostile to it, which do not hide their desire to “throw Israel into the sea.” However, the policy of ambiguity is often criticized by those who consider it a manifestation of double standards.
Iran, which also tried to develop a nuclear program, was severely punished for this. Israel did not experience any sanctions.
Today, when more than 70 years have passed since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the scientific and industrial potential of many states makes it possible to create super-powerful ammunition, any educated person should know that there are nuclear weapons. Considering the secrecy of this topic, the reluctance of some governments and regimes to declare the current state of affairs in this area is not an easy task.
The Fab Five
The USA was the first. A country that traded with both allies and enemies, making a net profit from the war greater than all the gigantic losses Hitler's Germany, had the opportunity to invest huge amounts of money in the Manhattan Project. The birthplace of Batman, Captain America in its characteristic democratic manner, without hesitation, in 1945 the United States tested an atomic bomb on the peaceful cities of Japan. The United States was the first to use thermonuclear weapons in 1952, many times larger destructive force than the first atomic weapons.
In the list called “Which countries have nuclear weapons,” the death of innocent residents and radioactive ash was the first line written.
I had to become the second Soviet Union. Having a “democratic” savage waving an atomic club as a neighbor on the planet was simply dangerous, without having similar weapons for protection and the possibility of a retaliatory strike. Exhausted Great Patriotic War the country required colossal efforts of scientists, intelligence officers, engineers, and workers in order to report to the Soviet people that they created an atomic bomb. In 1953, thermonuclear weapons were tested.
Fortunately, Nazi Germany was not the first to work on creating a military-defense complex based on chain reaction fission of uranium nuclei. The help of German scientists and engineers, the use of the technologies they developed, exported by the US Army, greatly simplified the creation of superweapons by the overseas empire of “good”.
Which countries have nuclear weapons? England, China, and France tried to answer this question, following the leaders of the rapidly developing race spurred by the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. Chronologically it looked like this:
Explicit and secret
Which countries have nuclear weapons besides the “old” ones? nuclear powers? Those who openly declared the creation and testing of both atomic and later thermonuclear weapons at one time were:
First of all, this is Israel. No one doubts that this country has nuclear weapons. She did not carry out his above-ground or underground explosions. There are only suspicions about joint tests in the South Atlantic together with South Africa, which was also considered to have nuclear reserves before the fall of the apartheid regime. Currently, South Africa completely denies their existence.
For many years, the world community and, above all, Israel suspected Iraq and Iran of developing and creating nuclear technologies for military use. The valiant defenders of democracy who invaded Iraq did not find any nuclear weapons there, nor chemical or bacteriological ones in addition, which they immediately bashfully kept silent about. Iran, under the influence of international sanctions, recently opened all its facilities related to nuclear energy, for IAEA inspectors who confirmed the absence of developments in the creation of weapons-grade plutonium.
Now Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is suspected of secretly seeking to acquire superweapons.
This concludes the list of states of the nuclear club, consisting of overt and secret members.
At the moment, all interested parties know quite precisely which countries have nuclear weapons, because this is a question global security. From time to time, information appears in the media about the ongoing work in many countries from South Korea, Brazil to Saudi Arabia, which have sufficient scientific and production potential, to create their own nuclear weapons, but there is no official, documentary evidence of this.
IN recent months North Korea and the United States are actively exchanging threats to destroy each other. Since both countries have nuclear arsenals, the world is closely monitoring the situation. On the Day of the Struggle for the Complete Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, we decided to remind you who has them and in what quantities. Today, it is officially known that eight countries that form the so-called Nuclear Club have such weapons.
Who exactly has nuclear weapons?
The first and only state to use nuclear weapons against another country is USA. In August 1945, during World War II, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The attack killed more than 200 thousand people.
![](https://i2.wp.com/img.tyt.by/n/0b/5/atomic_bombing_of_japan.jpg)
Year of first test: 1945
Carriers nuclear charges: submarines, ballistic missiles and bombers
Number of warheads: 6800, including 1800 deployed (ready for use)
Russia has the greatest nuclear stockpile. After the collapse of the Union, Russia became the only heir to the nuclear arsenal.
Year of first test: 1949
Nuclear charge carriers: submarines, missile systems, heavy bombers, and in the future - nuclear trains
Number of warheads: 7,000, including 1,950 deployed (ready for use)
Great Britain is the only country that has not conducted a single test on its territory. The country has 4 submarines with nuclear warheads; other types of troops were disbanded by 1998.
Year of first test: 1952
Nuclear charge carriers: submarines
Number of warheads: 215, including 120 deployed (ready for use)
France conducted ground tests of a nuclear charge in Algeria, where it built a test site for this.
Year of first test: 1960
Nuclear charge carriers: submarines and fighter-bombers
Number of warheads: 300, including 280 deployed (ready for use)
China tests weapons only on its territory. China has pledged not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. China in the transfer of technology for the production of nuclear weapons to Pakistan.
Year of first test: 1964
Nuclear charge carriers: ballistic launch vehicles, submarines and strategic bombers
Number of warheads: 270 (in reserve)
India announced the possession of nuclear weapons in 1998. In the Indian Air Force, nuclear weapons carriers can be French and Russian tactical fighters.
Year of first test: 1974
Nuclear charge carriers: short, medium and extended range missiles
Number of warheads: 120−130 (in reserve)
Pakistan tested its weapons in response to Indian actions. The reaction to the emergence of nuclear weapons in the country was global sanctions. Recently ex-president Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan considered launching a nuclear strike on India in 2002. Bombs can be delivered by fighter-bombers.
Year of first test: 1998
Number of warheads: 130−140 (in reserve)
DPRK announced the development of nuclear weapons in 2005, and conducted its first test in 2006. In 2012, the country declared itself a nuclear power and made corresponding amendments to the Constitution. IN Lately North Korea conducts a lot of tests - the country has intercontinental ballistic missiles and threatens the United States nuclear strike By American island Guam, which is located 4 thousand km from the DPRK.
![](https://i2.wp.com/img.tyt.by/n/reuters/0a/0/kim_chen_yn_bomba_03092017.jpg)
Year of first test: 2006
Nuclear charge carriers: nuclear bombs and missiles
Number of warheads: 10−20 (in reserve)
These 8 countries openly declare the presence of weapons, as well as the tests being carried out. The so-called “old” nuclear powers (USA, Russia, UK, France and China) signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while the “young” nuclear powers - India and Pakistan refused to sign the document. North Korea first ratified the agreement and then withdrew its signature.
Who can develop nuclear weapons now?
The main suspect is Israel. Experts believe that Israel has owned nuclear weapons of its own production since the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were also opinions that the country conducted joint tests with South Africa. According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, Israel has about 80 nuclear warheads as of 2017. The country can use fighter-bombers and submarines to deliver nuclear weapons.
Suspicions that Iraq develops weapons mass destruction, was one of the reasons for the invasion of the country by American and British troops (recall the famous speech of US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the UN in 2003, in which he stated that Iraq was working on programs to create biological and chemical weapons and possesses two of the three necessary components for the production of nuclear weapons. — Approx. TUT.BY). Later, the US and UK admitted that there were reasons for the invasion in 2003.
Was under international sanctions for 10 years Iran due to the resumption of the uranium enrichment program in the country under President Ahmadinejad. In 2015, Iran and six international mediators concluded the so-called “nuclear deal” - they were withdrawn, and Iran pledged to limit its nuclear activities only a “peaceful atom”, putting it under international control. With Donald Trump coming to power in the United States, Iran was reintroduced. Tehran, meanwhile, began.
Myanmar V last years also suspected of attempting to create nuclear weapons; it was reported that technology was exported to the country by North Korea. According to experts, Myanmar lacks the technical and financial capabilities to develop weapons.
IN different years many states were suspected of seeking or capable of creating nuclear weapons - Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Libya, Mexico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Sweden. But the transition from a peaceful atom to a non-peaceful one either was not proven, or the countries curtailed their programs.
Which countries allowed to store nuclear bombs and which refused?
Some European countries store US warheads. According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) in 2016, 150-200 US nuclear bombs are stored in underground storage facilities in Europe and Turkey. Countries have aircraft capable of delivering charges to intended targets.
Bombs are stored at air bases in Germany(Büchel, more than 20 pieces), Italy(Aviano and Gedi, 70−110 pieces), Belgium(Kleine Brogel, 10−20 pieces), the Netherlands(Volkel, 10−20 pieces) and Turkey(Incirlik, 50−90 pieces).
In 2015, it was reported that the Americans would deploy the latest B61-12 atomic bombs at a base in Germany, and American instructors were training Polish and Baltic Air Force pilots to operate these nuclear weapons.
The United States recently announced that it was negotiating the deployment of its nuclear weapons, where they were stored until 1991.
Four countries voluntarily renounced nuclear weapons on their territory, including Belarus.
After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine and Kazakhstan were in third and fourth place in the world in terms of the number of nuclear arsenals in the world. The countries agreed to the withdrawal of weapons to Russia under international security guarantees. Kazakhstan transferred strategic bombers to Russia, and sold uranium to the United States. In 2008, the country's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was nominated for Nobel Prize world for its contribution to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Ukraine in recent years there has been talk of restoring nuclear status countries. In 2016, the Verkhovna Rada proposed repealing the law “On Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.” Earlier, Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov stated that Kyiv is ready to use available resources to create effective weapons.
IN Belarus ended in November 1996. Subsequently, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko more than once called this decision the most serious mistake. In his opinion, “if there were nuclear weapons left in the country, they would be talking to us differently now.”
South Africa is the only country that independently produced nuclear weapons, and after the fall of the apartheid regime voluntarily abandoned them.
Who curtailed their nuclear programs
A number of countries voluntarily, and some under pressure, either curtailed or abandoned their nuclear program at the planning stage. For example, Australia in the 1960s, after providing its territory for nuclear testing, Great Britain decided to build reactors and build a uranium enrichment plant. However, after internal political debates, the program was curtailed.
Brazil after unsuccessful cooperation with Germany in the field of nuclear weapons development in the 1970–90s, it conducted a “parallel” nuclear program outside the control of the IAEA. Work was carried out on the extraction of uranium, as well as on its enrichment, albeit at the laboratory level. In the 1990s and 2000s, Brazil recognized the existence of such a program, and it was later closed. The country now has nuclear technology, which, if a political decision is made, will allow it to quickly begin developing weapons.
Argentina began its development in the wake of rivalry with Brazil. The program received its greatest boost in the 1970s when the military came to power, but by the 1990s the administration had changed to a civilian one. When the program was terminated, experts estimated that about a year of work remained to achieve the technological potential of creating nuclear weapons. As a result, in 1991, Argentina and Brazil signed an agreement on the use of nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Libya under Muammar Gaddafi after unsuccessful attempts decided to purchase ready-made weapons from China and Pakistan for its nuclear program. In the 1990s, Libya was able to purchase 20 centrifuges for uranium enrichment, but a lack of technology and qualified personnel prevented the creation of nuclear weapons. In 2003, after negotiations with the UK and the US, Libya curtailed its weapons of mass destruction program.
Egypt abandoned the nuclear program after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Taiwan carried out his developments for 25 years. In 1976, under pressure from the IAEA and the United States, it officially abandoned the program and dismantled the plutonium separation facility. However, he later resumed nuclear research in secret. In 1987, one of the leaders of the Zhongshan Institute of Science and Technology fled to the United States and spoke about the program. As a result, work was stopped.
In 1957 Switzerland created a Commission to study the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons, which came to the conclusion that weapons were necessary. Options were considered for purchasing weapons from the USA, Great Britain or the USSR, as well as developing them with France and Sweden. ABOUT However, by the end of the 1960s the situation in Europe had calmed down, and Switzerland signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Then for some time the country supplied nuclear technologies abroad.
Sweden has been actively developing since 1946. Her distinctive feature was the creation of nuclear infrastructure, the country's leadership was focused on the implementation of the concept of a closed nuclear fuel cycle. As a result, by the end of the 1960s, Sweden was ready for mass production of nuclear warheads. In the 1970s, the nuclear program was closed because... the authorities decided that the country would not be able to cope with simultaneous development modern species conventional weapons and the creation of a nuclear arsenal.
South Korea began its development in the late 1950s. In 1973, the Weapons Research Committee developed a 6-10 year plan to develop nuclear weapons. Negotiations were conducted with France on the construction of a plant for the radiochemical reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel and the separation of plutonium. However, France refused to cooperate. In 1975, South Korea ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United States promised to provide the country with a “nuclear umbrella.” After American President Carter announced his intention to withdraw troops from Korea, the country secretly resumed its nuclear program. The work continued until 2004, when it became public knowledge. South Korea has curtailed its program, but today the country is capable of developing nuclear weapons in a short time.
To begin with, let's remember that nuclear weapons can destroy all living organisms, including people, in the shortest possible time. And accordingly, this particular type of weapon is capable of destroying our entire world within a few seconds.
The second question that arises before creating the list is why did these countries still create nuclear weapons, despite the fact that they are an active form of destructive material? The answer to this question is that this type energy is useful for humanity, but if it is used for peaceful purposes. Basically, the reason for the appearance of nuclear weapons in a country is the desire to protect itself from external aggressors. Interestingly, only the Americans actually used nuclear weapons in World War II against Japan, but the effect of this is still felt in the relevant areas of the country.
Here is a list of ten countries with the largest number nuclear weapons all over the world.
Today, Iran is not a nuclear weapons country because there is only one Islamic country in the world that is considered nuclear weapons - Pakistan. But before this, it was believed that Iran had created several types of nuclear or chemical weapons. Islamic Republic Iran signed a treaty with the United States to eliminate nuclear weapons, as more than 1,000,000 people were killed during the Iran-Iraq war.
After the fatwa of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran stopped creating nuclear and other types of weapons, and everything created previously was destroyed by the UN Security Agency. But rumors still persist that there are still nuclear weapons left in Iran that have not been destroyed, but no one knows exactly how many.
The country's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We constantly hear about North Korea in the news as it seeks to increase the number of nuclear weapons. It was also reported that North Korea fired three ballistic missiles towards the United States. This country does not have a good reputation, as it is considered the most hated of all countries in the world.
It is quite difficult to determine the level of well-being of the people due to the closed nature of North Korea, but huge amounts of money are regularly spent on defense. This country created nuclear weapons for defense, tests have already been carried out and the Koreans have about 10 nuclear warheads. But this country is considered one of the most dangerous for life.
Another popular country in the world, officially called Israel, is also considered a Jewish state. On the other hand, Israel is another one of the most hated countries in the world due to its continuous war with Palestine, so it is not only fiercely hated in Muslim countries, but in others too.
It has been reported that Israel has a large number of nuclear weapons, but they are mainly being developed with the help of America, which is considered Israel's strategic partner. The state was formed in 1947 and has not expanded its territory due to the war with Palestine, so there are still about 80 nuclear weapons in this country.
India, official name - Republic of India, one of the most important countries in the world and is one of the most large countries, the second largest population in the world with approximately 1.3 billion people.
If we talk about the defense of this country, it has surpassed many countries in the world, because last year it acquired a large number of weapons from Russia, now there are from 90 to 110 nuclear weapons - this is the third figure among all countries in the world. Many of this country's nuclear experiments have failed, but they are constantly being carried out due to the state of cold war on the border with Pakistan.
France
France - extraordinary beautiful country, which is officially called French Republic and has about 67 million population; its capital is Paris, which is also the most beautiful, largest and most cultural center in the world. The country itself is also considered the cultural center of Europe and has a dominant position in terms of defense.
If we talk about past wars, this country took part in both the First and Second World Wars. France is known as a country nuclear energy, there are about 300 nuclear weapons here, so the defense capability of this beautiful country is also considered the best in the world, as the highly organized army has new technological weapons.
Great Britain
Great Britain is one of the oldest countries in the world, which is also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Besides this, this rich country With a population of 65.1 million, it ranks fourth among the most populated countries Europe. The capital of Great Britain is London, it is important Finance center For different nations peace.
The defense capability of this country is considered one of the highest in the world; this country is also a nuclear power, which has about 225 nuclear or chemical weapons. The army is also known throughout the world as one of the best - due to the presence of highly qualified personnel. And this is one of best countries in terms of living conditions, even despite nuclear energy.
China is the most developed country in the world because almost everything used on our planet is produced here. It is the leader in population with more than 1.38 billion inhabitants. This happy country officially called People's Republic China, also the largest electronics manufacturer, ships its goods to almost every country in the world.
China is also a nuclear energy country, so there are 250 nuclear weapons here, so the defense of this country is at a very high level. high level due to the use of new technologies in the manufacture of weapons or other equipment used in the army. China is the world's oldest state and occupies the third largest territory in the world, after Russia and Canada.
Pakistan is one of the most beautiful and important countries in the world, appeared on the map in 1947, according to the 1973 constitution, it is called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is the second largest Islamic country in the world due to its population of almost 200 million.
Thus, Pakistan is the only Islamic country in the world that has nuclear weapons. Defense is priority direction, so they don’t save money on purchasing weapons. Pakistan's stockpile is about 120 nuclear weapons.
The United States of America is considered one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world. The country includes 52 states, total number population - 320 million. If we talk about defense capability, this is the most highly organized army, which has new and best weapon, and also this country is number one among the nuclear powers in the world, having almost 7,700 nuclear weapons.
It is the only country to have used nuclear weapons against its population - Japan in 1945 during World War II. The USA has many differences with many countries including Russia, China and Pakistan, hence also considered as the most hated country in the world.
Russia
Russia is also one of the most influential countries in the world, known high quality produced weapons. Official name- Russian Federation. This is the most big country world's largest in area, but its population is about 146 million.
One of the most ancient countries in the world. Russia is the largest arms manufacturer in the world. Its stockpile of nuclear weapons is the largest among all countries in the world, amounting to about 8,500 units. Russia sells weapons to all countries of the world, so there is no doubt about their quality. This allows the country to claim the title of superpower.
Who didn't have time
Terms are a delicate thing. Under " nuclear club"It is customary to understand only five states: the USA, Russia (as the legal successor of the USSR), Great Britain, France, China. And that’s all! And Israel, which traditionally neither denies nor confirms the presence of nuclear arsenals, and India and Pakistan, which demonstratively carried out nuclear tests and officially announced the presence of nuclear charges, from the point of view international legislation cannot obtain legal status as nuclear powers. The fact is that to join the club you do not need the consent of its current members, but a time machine. All countries that managed to conduct nuclear tests before January 1, 1967 automatically became nuclear powers. The chronology is as follows: the Americans - in 1945, we - four years later, the British and the French - in 1952 and 1960, respectively. China jumped into the “last carriage” - 1964.
Let us note that this state of affairs has always caused and still causes a feeling of indignation among some part of the nuclear-free nations. Nevertheless, 185 countries around the world accepted these rules of the game and signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This means that the door to the elite nuclear establishment has closed forever.
The situation is paradoxical: any country that does not recognize the mentioned Treaty formally has all the rights to create its own nuclear charge. And the members of the Treaty are also free to withdraw from it at any time - they just need to warn the others about this 90 days in advance.
Of course, the potential owner of the bomb will have to incur serious material costs, endure all sorts of international sanctions and, perhaps, even survive a military attack (at one time the Iraqi nuclear program in literally buried Israeli F-16s, destroying an Iraqi research center).
Nevertheless, particularly stubborn countries can still become owners of the coveted bomb. Approximately 40 states of the world today, figuratively speaking, are on the threshold: that is, they have the capabilities to produce national nuclear weapons. But only four dared to cross this threshold. In addition to the aforementioned Israel, India and Pakistan, North Korea considers itself a nuclear power. True, no intelligence agency in the world has reliable data that Pyongyang conducted at least one atomic bomb test. In this connection, some authoritative experts call the nuclear ambitions of the North Koreans a bluff. There are reasons for this. Thus, North Korea declared itself at the same time a great space power, declaring that it had launched a real satellite. But not a single tracking station recorded it in orbit. Which is quite strange, especially considering that, according to Pyongyang, their satellite was broadcasting revolutionary songs from near-Earth space.
Nuclear arsenals
There are fewer than 30 thousand warheads in nuclear arsenals today.
If we still assume that North Korea is not bluffing, then of this amount its hypothetical contribution is the most modest. 100 km north of the capital of North Korea, it was built with the help of the Chinese nuclear reactor. It was suppressed twice under US pressure, but it was still estimated that during its operation it could have accumulated from 9 to 24 kg of weapons-grade plutonium. Experts believe that the production of one bomb, comparable in power to the charge that destroyed Hiroshima, requires from 1 to 3 kg of plutonium-239. Thus, the maximum that the North Korean army can have is 10 relatively low-power charges.
But if there are few bombs in the Juche homeland, then there are more than enough carriers. They are even in the development stage intercontinental missiles capable of reaching the United States.
Experts attribute to Pakistan the presence of approximately 50 nuclear warheads. Older Scud-type ballistic missiles and more advanced Ghauri ballistic missiles can be used as carriers. In addition, Pakistani engineers independently equipped the existing F-16s with bomb racks for nuclear bombs.
India has approximately 50 to 100 nuclear bombs. Wide choice of carriers: nationally developed ballistic and cruise missiles, fighter-bombers.
Israel has a more substantial arsenal: approximately 200 charges. It is believed that Israel is equipped with nuclear-capable missiles on F-16 and F-15 aircraft, as well as Jericho-1 and Jericho-2 missiles with a range of up to 1,800 km. In addition, this country has the most advanced air and missile defense system in the Middle East.
The UK has about 200 warheads. All of them are located on four nuclear submarines armed with Trident II missiles. Previously, there were nuclear bombs in the arsenal of Tornado aircraft, but the British abandoned tactical nuclear weapons.
The French army and navy have 350 nuclear warheads: sea-launched missile warheads and aerial bombs that can be carried by Mirage 2000N tactical fighter-bombers and Super Etandar carrier-based attack aircraft.
Chinese generals have up to 300 strategic and up to 150 tactical charges at their disposal.
The United States today has over 7 thousand warheads on strategic carriers: land- and sea-based ballistic missiles, and on bombers, and up to 4 thousand tactical bombs. Total 11-12 thousand nuclear warheads.
Russia, according to Western experts, has approximately 18 thousand nuclear charges, of which 2/3 are tactical. According to data provided to RG by the director of the Institute strategic stability Viktor Mikhailov, in 2000 strategic nuclear forces Russia had 5906 warheads. Another 4,000 nuclear warheads are non-strategic and are bombs tactical aviation, warheads for cruise missiles and torpedoes. According to experts from one of the most authoritative institutes in the world - the Swedish SIPRI, two years ago our strategic nuclear forces had 4852 warheads, of which 2916 were on 680 ICBMs, 1072 carried ballistic missiles from submarines. Also, 864 warheads were installed on air-to-ground cruise missiles. It should be borne in mind that there is a steady trend towards their further reduction. True, the accumulated world reserves of weapons-grade plutonium allow short term increase arsenals to 85 thousand charges.
Generally total The number of nuclear weapons available in the world today is known only approximately. But it is known with bomb accuracy that the arms race reached its apogee in 1986. At that time there were 69,478 thousand nuclear warheads on the planet.
Alas, we must admit that although there are fewer bombs, their carriers have become more advanced: more reliable, more accurate and almost invulnerable.
In addition, scientists are working on a bomb fourth generation: a purely thermonuclear weapon, the fusion reaction in which must be initiated by some alternative energy source. The fact is that current hydrogen bombs use the classic nuclear explosion, which produces the main radioactive fallout. If the “nuclear fuse” can be replaced with something, then the generals will receive a bomb that will be as powerful as the current thermonuclear ones, but within 1-2 days after its use, the radiation in the affected area will decrease to an acceptable level. Simply put, the territory is suitable for capture and use. Imagine what a temptation this is for the attacking side...
Bomb Refusers
Statements about the need to have nuclear weapons in service are heard from time to time even in countries whose nuclear-free status is seemingly unshakable. In Japan, senior officials regularly advocate discussing the issue of nuclear weapons, after which they resign in scandal. From time to time, calls for the creation of the first “Arab atomic bomb” in Egypt are revived. There is a scandal around secret program nuclear research and experiments in South Korea, which has always served as an example of restraint compared to its northern neighbor.
Brazil, which we associate exclusively with Don Pedro and wild monkeys, is determined to launch in 2010... its own nuclear submarine. It is appropriate to remember that back in the 80s, the Brazilian military developed two designs of atomic charges with a yield of 20 and 30 kilotons, although the bombs were never assembled...
At the same time, several countries voluntarily gave up nuclear weapons.
In 1992, South Africa announced that it had eight nuclear warheads and invited IAEA inspectors to oversee their disposal.
Kazakhstan and Belarus voluntarily parted with weapons of mass destruction. After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine automatically became a powerful nuclear missile power. The Ukrainians had at their disposal 130 SS-19 intercontinental ballistic missiles, 46 SS-24 missiles and 44 heavy strategic bombers with cruise missiles. Note that, unlike other republics, post-Soviet space, where there were also nuclear arsenals, Ukraine had the ability to build ballistic missiles (for example, all the famous SS-18 "Satan" were produced in Dnepropetrovsk) and had a uranium deposit. And theoretically, she could well qualify for membership in the “nuclear club.”
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian ballistic missiles were destroyed under the control of American observers, and Kyiv transferred all 1,272 nuclear warheads to Russia. From 1996 to 1999, Ukraine also eliminated 29 Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers and 487 cruise missiles airborne X-55.
The Ukrainians kept one and only Tu-160 for themselves: for the Air Force Museum. It seems like they didn’t keep the nuclear bombs as a souvenir.
Evgeniy Avrorin, scientific director of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Physics (Snezhinsk), full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
In general, the production of nuclear weapons is quite complex and subtle technology, which is used both in the production of fissile materials and directly in the creation of nuclear weapons. But when we carried out an analysis at our center regarding which states could create nuclear weapons, we came to to the following conclusion: today absolutely anyone can do it industrially developed state. Only required political decision. All information is quite accessible, nothing is unknown. The only question is technology and investing certain financial resources.
RG | Evgeniy Nikolaevich, it is widely believed that in order to enrich uranium, which is necessary for nuclear weapons, it is necessary to build a special plant with cascades of hundreds of thousands of centrifuges. At the same time, the cost of creating a nuclear fuel production cycle costs more than a billion dollars. Is technology really that expensive?
Evgeniy Avrorin | It depends we're talking about. Nuclear materials to create weapons you need much less than to create advanced energy. Enrichment technology is, so to speak, fractional. Now it is no longer a secret that the most promising and advanced technology is the so-called “turntables,” which were best developed in the Soviet Union. These are very small devices, and each of them individually is very inexpensive. Yes, they are very low-performance. And in order to obtain materials for the development of large-scale energy, a lot of them are needed, which is where billions of dollars come from. At the same time, to obtain several kilograms of uranium necessary for the production of nuclear weapons, many such devices are not needed. I repeat, only mass production is expensive.
RG| The IAEA claims that about 40 countries are on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Will the growth of threshold countries continue?
Evgeniy Avrorin | What does a country gain by acquiring nuclear weapons? Acquires more weight, greater authority, feels more secure. These are positive factors. There is only one negative factor - the country is experiencing discontent international community. But, unfortunately, the example of India and Pakistan has shown that positive factors prevail. No sanctions were applied against these countries.
The negative factors of possessing nuclear weapons prevailed in countries such as South Africa and Brazil: the first eliminated them, the second was on the verge of creating them, but refused to create them. Even little Switzerland had a program to create nuclear weapons, but it also curtailed it in time. The most important thing that needs to be offered to the so-called “threshold countries” is guarantees of their security in exchange for abandoning bombs. And we need to improve the control system. We need constant international monitoring, and not inspections that carry out one-time checks. Today this system is full of holes...
43 countries of the world, including 28 developing ones, have reserves of highly enriched uranium.
In the late 60s of the last century, Libya asked the USSR to build a reactor, and in the early 70s it tried to buy a nuclear bomb from China. The peaceful reactor was built, but the deal with the Chinese fell through.
Especially for the Yak-38 carrier-based vertical takeoff and landing attack aircraft, whose combat load was extremely limited, a lightweight and compact nuclear bomb RN-28. The “ammunition load” of such bombs on the heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers “Kyiv” was 18 pieces.
The most powerful in the world H-bomb"Kuzka's Mother" ("product 602") weighed 26.5 tons and did not fit into the bomb bay of any of the existing ones at that time heavy bombers. It was suspended under the fuselage of a Tu-95V specially converted for this purpose and dropped on October 30, 1961 in the area of the Matochkin Shar Strait on Novaya Zemlya. “Product 602” was not accepted for service - it was intended solely for psychological pressure on the Americans.
In 1954, during the Totsky exercises at the “strong point infantry battalion US Army" a real nuclear bomb was dropped, after which through the center nuclear explosion The troops went on the attack. The bomb was called "Tatyana", and it was dropped from a Tu-4A - an exact copy of the American strategic bomber B-29.
In the famous Israeli air raid on an Iraqi research nuclear center The future first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, also took part in Osirak. During the bombing, at least one non-Iraqi citizen, a French technician, was killed. Ilan Ramon himself did not bomb the reactor, but only covered the planes that struck with an F-15 fighter. Ramon died in the 2003 US shuttle Columbia accident.
Since 1945, approximately 128 thousand nuclear charges have been produced in the world. Of these, the USA produced a little more than 70 thousand, the USSR and Russia - approximately 55 thousand.